Llaneras leads Spanish national team

By Antonio J. Salmerón

According to news daily Última Hora de Mallorca, the Spanish track rider Joan Llaneras will participate in all the stages of the Challenge de Mallorca with the national team. At the same time, he expressed his great satisfaction to be able to compete in the World Championships in Palma de Mallorca, scheduled from March 29-April 1, 2007 - an event for which he is currently building up form.

"I will try to fight for the podium," Llaneras said, adding that the new velodrome of Mallorca is "a dream and an historical debt that has become reality, and one of the main references for the best pistards." However, he commented that "winning depends on many circumstances, and now the only thing that I can promise is to try and get good results."

Initially, the Spaniard planned to compete in the Madison, but the tragic death of Isaac Gálvez in the Gent Six Day left him without his habitual teammate in the mentioned specialty. "My participation in the Scratch race and in the Madison are still not clear," Llaneras said.

The six-times World Champion has already defined his calendar in 2007 to peak at the Track World Championships. "For me, the Mallorca Challenge is very important because it will be one of the cornerstones of my preparation. After racing in Mallorca, I will train in San Sebastián and in Mexico to complete my technical preparation."