A disappointed Ricardo Serrano ended up in the ambulance after the last stage of the Euskal Bizikleta. The Tinkoff rider, one of the most active racers over the three stages, had crashed in the ascent to the penultimate mountain of the day, the Alto de San Miguel. Nothing serious, but a shock and grazes at the left leg, arm and shoulder.
Despite the disappointment, Serrano, who spent the second stage in a large breakaway, talked to Cyclingnews after the race and stated that "In the beginning [of stage 3], I was present in two breakaway attempts, but the peloton was not interested in letting any of them go. So, they chased us down, and I tried to finish the stage as best as I could. Later, in the ascent to the Alto de San Miguel, in a curve there was oil on the road. I slipped and was not able to avoid the fall."
The rider from Valladolid, resident in the Basque country, was not satisfied about the race. "I can't draw a positive conclusion of this Euskal Bizikleta – of yesterday's [Saturday's] stage yes, but not of the entire race. I expected a lot of this race. I was really keen on participating, because I did not compete in many races this year, as I had bad luck with injuries. I had trained a lot and I felt very well. But then, the first day was quite bad and later the crash… this race has been like my entire season."
The 29 year-old, in the peloton known as "Richi", hopes that the rest of the year will be better: "I am already thinking about the Vuelta a España, because there I hope to be able to make up for the whole year. Until this race, I will have to be patient and hope to do better in my next races."
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