Following on from the recent confirmation that the Euskaltel team will continue for at least three more years, the 2008 Olympic champion Samuel Sanchez has committed to staying on board for the duration of that time. Now 34 years of age, it makes it likely that he’ll finish out his career with the team.
Sanchez turned pro in 2000 and has only ever raced with that squad, being one of very few non-Basques to be signed up. He is one of Euskaltel-Euskadi’s strongest riders and ensure it has some important points heading towards the end of the season, when the UCI will deem if it has sufficient firepower to be part of the WorldTour in 2013.
Second in the 2009 Vuelta and third in the following year’s Tour, he won a stage plus the mountains jersey in last year’s race. He won the Vuelta al Pais Vasco this year but crashed out of the Tour; his injuries caused him to withdraw from the Spanish team for the Olympic Games.
Deciding not to do the Vuelta, he will instead resume racing today in the Clásica San Sebastian. According to Biciciclismo, the rest of his programme has been determined. He will do the Vattenfall Cyclassics on August 19th, then the Tour Poitou-Charentes (August 21-24), the Tour of Britain (September 9 – 16) and the world road race championships on September 23rd.
A busy end of season continues with the Giro del Piemonte, Il Lombardia, the Tour of Beijing and the newest WorldTour event, the Tour de Hangzhou.
The schedule gives Sanchez opportunity to bounce back from his frustrating mid-season.
Several other strong riders are also renewing with the team, including Igor Antón, Mikel Landa and Ion Izagirre.