Constantino Zaballa, a former winner of the Clasica San Sebastian, has been thrown a lifeline by the modest Italian Continental outfit, Miche, after seeing his supposed contract with Caja Rural fall through late in the transfer season.
"I'm happy, because after the reversal with Caja Rural, with whom I had signed a contract that was reported to the Spanish Professional Cyclists Association, it had become very difficult to continue in cycling," said the rider from Udias in various Spanish news sources, including Es Ciclismo.
Zaballa hopes to return to the level that saw him as one of Spain's most promising prospects at the beginning of the 2000's. As a 23 year old, he shot to attention following stage victories in both the Tour de l'Avenir and the Tour of Portugal. After that, more success followed, but he was never the most consistent rider, and as he advanced through his Twenties, the gaps between victories became longer and longer. Zaballa showed a return to his form of old with victory at the Tour of Asturias in 2010 and looked set for a big 2011 with Caja Rural, but then the contract fell through.
Zaballa's victory at the Vuelta Asturias was a true return to form for the Cantabrian rider. He put in a masterful ride on the race's final day, which included him making the decisive break, then getting dropped from it, rejoining, then attacking the group and riding to a one and a half minute gap over the final 50 kilometers to take the stage and the overall title. Before that, he took 5th place at the 1.1 GP Llodio, 6th at the 1.1 Vuelta a Rioja, and capped off the run with his Asturian triumph. There was little doubting Zaballa's return to form, but still, the big contract was not forthcoming. The deal with Caja Rural looked like a step in the right direction, but that too fell through for Zaballa. It was only in the last weeks that the deal with Miche materialized, and with it, a chance to continue his career.
While Miche is not even a Professional Continental team, he'll still be receive some solid race possibilities, and most importantly, in the terrain that suits him best - the mountains.
"I hope to show that I still have cycling legs. I completely cut out cyclocross after seeing that I was not going to go to the World Championships, and now I am preparing to start my season at the Tour of the Mediterranean from the 9th to the 13th of February."
The 32 year old rider has spent the last three seasons riding for Portuguese teams, LA-MSS, Fercasa-Paredes, and Loule-Louletano, but before that, he rode for three powerful Spanish squads: Kelme, Saunier Duval, and Caisse d'Epargne.
The Spaniard has achieved a fair number of victories throughout his career: a stage and the overall at the Tour of Asturias in 2010, the GP Paredes Rota in 2008, the Euskal Bizikleta in 2007, the Clasica San Sebastian in 2005, stages in both the Vuelta a Espana and the Tour of Aragon in 2004, as well as stages in the Tour of Portugal and the Tour de l'Avenir in 2001.