GP Miguel Indurain

Madrazo (3rd) and Rui Costa (4th) make best Blue performances after carousel of attacks in closing 20k in Estella sees Movistar Team shine, two days from the start of the Vuelta al País Vasco on Monday

Movistar Team went with a sweet-and-sour taste at the end of the 14th GP Miguel Indurain, the Blues having done a tremendous work on the attack during the final 20k out of 179 in the six-climb course finishing at the Santuario de Santa María del Puy, climbed twice before the finish and where the battle began just after the four-man break of the day was relled back by the bunch. José Herrada attacked together with fellow countryman Ángel Vicioso (KAT), their move reaching a 25-second advantage and only surrendering into the final slopes of Eraul (Cat. 2), nine kilometers from the end, where Vladimir Karpets and an unfortunate Vasil Kiryienka went on a duo attack.

The Belarusian crashed in the first turn into the decisive downhill to Estella, and despite the attempts by Karpets to keep the front and the short attack by Rui Costa in the non-categorized climb of Muru, a ten-rider group including Costa and Ángel Madrazo from José Luis Arrieta’s squad -Movistar Team’s DS received a plaque as recognition towards his sporting career from the organisers, along with Miguel Indurain and Chente García Acosta- made it to the finish. Moreno (KAT) was the strongest in the final ramp ahead of Landa (EUS) and Madrazo, who took his first podium place of the season just over Costa, in the prelude of the big race coming on Monday with the Vuelta al País Vasco starting at Güeñes.

REACTION / Ángel Madrazo: “Euskaltel and Katusha controlled for all the race, took the break down and, at the last climb through Muru, some of them attacked from our group. We knew we had to stay into there, and with my team-mate Rui Costa we managed to keep the pace and come into the final slope with winning chances. They say that, when you give everything but still don’t reach the goal, you cna’t do better; I’d have liked to contest the win, because the team was confident on me and I’m a bit disappointed about that, but, on the other hand, I’m satisfied because I came 5th and 3rd in the two years I was committed to fight for the victory. Let’s hope it goes luckier next year and I can grab it. My goal for the first part of the season was doing well during this week. Now, at País Vasco we’ll try to get on the right break and chase a stage win, and at Amorebieta, we’ll race in the same way we did today. After that, I’ll do all three Ardennes classics: Amstel, Flèche, and Liège.”