Vuelta a España. Astana’s Gorka Izagirre in breakway, 9th at finish, Stage 11
The Astana rider did a strong and active race, in the final part of 180-km-long stage Gorka made a few attacks, trying to escape, but every time the rivals were able to close the gap, Astana Pro Team’s official website reads.
«I tried my best today. I felt quite good and I aimed to go in a breakaway today as La Vuelta arrived in Basque Country. I attacked for several times, in a moment I went away with Aranburu and this move looked good, but later the chasing group caught us back. I tried again, but it did not work. Anyway, it was nice for me to spend this day in the leading group,» said Gorka Izagirre.
Mikel Iturria has attacked from the leading group inside final 30 km and was able to resist until the finish, winning this stage 11. Gorka Izagirre finished in the second chasing group at 9th place.
The leader of Astana Pro Team Miguel Angel Lopez spent a good day in the peloton, surrounded by his teammates. In the end of the day, he finished safety in the bunch.
«We spent more or less quiet stage in the peloton, but in every single moment we stayed focused and concentrated on the race. The stage was hard enough with many climbs and descents, so the team protected me well, keeping out of troubles. I was happy to accumulate some energy in this kind of stage after a very difficult time trial,» said Miguel Angel Lopez.
There are no changes in the general classification, Primoz Roglic still leads the race, Miguel Angel Lopez is 3rd, 2 minutes 11 seconds behind. The Astana rider still leads the best young rider classification.
Stage 12 will be held tomorrow: 171.4 km from Circuito de Navarra to Bilbao.