Euskaltel line up for Sanremo

By Monika Prell

Euskaltel-Euskadi will head to Italy confident after the victory of Koldo Fernández in the last stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. For Milano-Sanremo the team will be directed by Jon Odriozola, who is optimistic one day before the start. He noted the secret is "to pass Cipressa and Poggio with the least amount of effort possible. The race is almost 300 kilometres long, and the more you can conserve the better. You have to be in a very good competition form and have a good base to arrive with chances."

After Koldo's triumph on Tuesday he sees the young rider as one of the favourites. "He bettered cyclists like Thor Hushovd and Stuart O'Grady, cyclists of the highest level. This Classic is very prestigious, for the Italian cyclists it's the most important of the season, and the struggle will be hard, but we have our chances. Our objective will be to protect of Koldo until the finish."

Koldo Fernández confirmed that "after the victory in Tirreno, I'm more self-confident. ... Riding a good Milano-Sanremo, cumulating experience and trying to be with the best motivates me."

The sprinter will be helped by his teammates Unai Etxebarria, Beñat Albizuri, Aitor Hernández, Aketza Peña, Jon Bru, Antton Luengo and IbanMayoz, the same team that participated in Tirreno-Adriatico.