Solid start for Caisse d'Epargne in Eneco

With Iván Gutiérrez and Alexei Markov fourth and seventh after Wednesday's prologue at the Eneco Tour, Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears team manager José Luis Jaimerena was cautiously optimistic about the week ahead.

"We are here to obtain the best result we will be able to, but we are of course conscious of the fact that the race will be a tough one, because of the strong wind that is sure to blow on the Dutch and Belgian roads," said Jaimerena in a team statement.

"We can expect the field to break in several parts at any time. It will be very important to remain careful during the whole stage, every day. We take the start of the event with the intention of winning at least one stage, without of course forgetting the general classification. Thanks to the two time trials, Iván Gutiérrez is the man with the most possibilities to do that, without forgetting the Reynes-Markov duet in the case of a sprint."