Lineups

Telephone squad brings strong block to one of the most important events in their calendar with the Vuelta al País Vasco starting on Monday - Ronde van Vlaanderen preceeding Spanish race on Sunday

Movistar Team has defined its eight-man squad to defend the team’s honour in the 2012 edition of the Vuelta al País Vasco, one of the most prestigious races in the World Tour schedule. José Luis Arrieta and José Luis Jaimerena will directed, from next Monday and until Saturday, April 7, a team formed up by David López and Vasil Kiryienka (BLR) –both in the overall top-ten at last year’s race-, David Arroyo, Ángel Madrazo, José Herrada, Marzio Bruseghin (ITA), Rui Costa (POR) and Spanish road race champion José Joaquín Rojas. Absent at the Basque race will be Beñat Intxausti, 4th overall in 2011, suffering a flu since ten days ago and unable to reach the starting line in his homeland on top form. 

Once again, the Vuelta al País Vasco is featuring a six-day course full of climbs (up to 30 of them categorized), with two consecutive mountain-top finishes in Arrate and Ibardin (Wednesday and Thursday) and a decisive, 19-kilometer individual time trial in Oñati to decide the overall podium. A majority from Movistar Team’s block for the race -Kiryienka, Madrazo, Herrada, López and Rui Costa- have recon’d the finish at Ibardin this morning.

Tour of Flanders coming on Sunday
In the eve of the inaugural stage in the Basque race, a second Movistar Team block will be at the Grote Markt in Bruges for the start of the Ronde van Vlaanderen, whose 96th edition -255 km across the Flemish Ardennes- will see the Blues searching for an ending point to their unfortunate streak after the three races on Belgian soil last week. Yvon Ledanois will direct Andrey Amador, Imanol Erviti, Iván Gutiérrez, Jesús Herrada, Ignatas Konovalovas, Pablo Lastras, Fran Ventoso and Giovanni Visconti to the brandnew finish in Oudenaarde.