Pro bike: Samuel Sanchez's Orbea Orca Gold

Euskaltel-Euskadi’s Samuel Sanchez had a tough Giro d’Italia. So tough he’s ruled himself out of a tilt at the Tour de France to recover for the Vuelta. He’s looked out of sorts at the Dauphiné too until a superb stage win on stage 7 to Superdévoluy.

Sam started as a trainee reporter on daily newspapers in the UK before moving to South Africa where he contributed to national cycling magazine Ride for three years. After moving back to the UK he joined Procycling as a staff writer in November 2010.