Philip Deignan is finally getting the chance to build some momentum with Team Sky after a delayed start to the season. The Donegal man will be tested to the limit at the Vuelta A Pais Vasco (2.UWT) which starts next Monday and runs until the following Saturday.
By Brian Canty
Fresh from his heroics at the Volta A Catalunya last weekend where he finished third on general classification, Dan Martin will spearhead a strong Etixx-QuickStep squad for another WorldTour race next week.
The Irishman heads to Vuelta A Pais Vasco, from next Monday to Saturday, as part of an eight–strong team with stage wins and hard racing the targets ahead of the upcoming Ardennes Classics.
He’s not the only Irishman in the field, mind, as Philip Deignan is also set to start for Team Sky in a squad heavy on climbers.
Advertisement
Deignan has ridden it twice in the past, in 2009 and 2006, with Cervelo Test Team and Ag2r Prevoyance respectively.
Martin also also ridden the race, managing 14th overall in 2010.
As preparation, Deignan will ride Saturday’s Gran Premio Miguel Indurain (1.1) in the Navarra region of north-east Spain.
And assuming he comes out of that okay, he will head west the following day for the Monday start.
Pais Vasco is a race that suits a punchy climber and Martin's sports director at Etixx-QuickStep, Brian Holm, said he can go very well there.
Related News
After his stage victory, above, and 3rd place overall in Catalunya, Dan Martin will be hungry for more success next week.
“Pais Vasco sticks to its roots, which means many tough climbs and many walls along the way, but it will all come down to the individual time trial on Saturday,” Holm said.
“We won’t see too many bunch sprints, which will be to Dan Martin’s liking, as he can sprint from a reduced group.
“He will lead the team and go for a good GC result, which he can get, considering his form and the fact he will rely on a strong team, which includes Gianluca Brambilla and Carlos Verona, two riders who showed good form thus far this season.”
The race gets underway in Etxebarria on Monday with a brutal stage that includes eight categorised climbs, all of which are relatively short but quite steep, particularly the penultimate category one ramp which reaches 560 metres and comes 30 kilometres before the finish.
Tuesday's stage has four climbs, finishing on a nasty climb to Garrastatxu (2.7k, 11.6% average gradient).
There are five climbs the next day, Wednesday, and the same amount the day after that.
And if that wasn’t hard enough, Friday's penultimate day features eight more climbs finishing just after a category one climb in Eibar.
The race will conclude with a hilly individual time trial of 16kkm that reaches almost 600 metres.
Like the Volta A Catalunya, the start-list is one of the best assembled in recent times, with Katusha, Astana, Tinkoff, Movistar and LottoNL-Jumbo sending their best climbers.
Similarly, Team Sky have plumped for their flyweights, with Deignan, Sebastian Henao, Sergio Henao, Mikel Landa, David Lopez, Xabier Zandio all getting the go-ahead, along with strongmen Lars Petter Nordhaug and Vasil Kiryienka.
Topics
