Euskaltel-Euskadi had its first mini camp from November 21 to November 24. The riders from the Basque Team got together in Derio, in the Bizkaya region. Now in its 18th year, Euskaltel-Euskadi had a very good season in 2010.
There were 23 riders that got together for four days, guided by ex-rider Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano, reports esciclismo.com. The focus was for new riders to get acquainted to the team, have meetings and relax together. The mornings were used for physical activity, while the riders participated in slower programs in the afternoons, including medical checks.
The traditional press conference in Euskaltel-Euskadi's headquarter was held on Monday morning, followed by a light two-hour ride.
Tuesday's activities were a bit more light-hearted, with a laser-paintball game the most popular one. On Wednesday, the team visited the Orbea facilities. Orbea provides the bicycles for Euskaltel-Euskadi. The first camp was a success for everybody, held in a very relaxed atmosphere.
In 2010, Euskaltel-Euskadi obtained 17 victories. Olympic champion Samuel Sánchez was leading the pack, winning five times, In addition to stage victories in the Vuelta a Burgos, he also took the overall victory there. Sánchez won stage four in the Vuelta a País Vasco from Murgia Zuia to Eibar, beating Robert Gesink and Chris Horner. Sánchez took the Klasika Primavera in April.
The second ranked rider in the internal Euskaltel-Euskadi stats was Igor Anton Hernandez, with four victories (stage three of the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon, and two stages in the Vuelta a España. He took the fourth as well as the 11 stage in the Spanish Grand Tour. In May, he won stage five in the Tour de Romandie, ahead of Simon Spilak and Denis Menchov.
Other winners were sprinter Koldo Fernandez De Larrea (Tour de Vendée, Stage one of the Vuelta a Burgos), Mikel Nieve Iturralde (Stage 16, Vuelta a España), Gorka Izagirre Insausti ( Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia, stage in the Tour de Luxembourg), Ruben Perez Moreno (Bayern Rundfahrt, stage 1) and Pablo Urtasun Perez (Stage of the Vuelta a Asturias).