Koldo 12th in Rioja opener

The opener of the three-day Vuelta Ciclista a la Rioja didn`t quite produce the results Euskaltel wanted. As the day was all flat, hopes were high that Koldo Fernández would add another win to his palmarès. That didn`t materialize though, as Koldo could only muster a 12th place, closely followed by Dioni Galparsoro in 14th. I haven`t got any race-report on the stage, but from what it looks like, Euskaltel didn`t have a rider in the main break of the day. It all came down to a bunch-sprint, with Alberto Loddo taking top honours after a mad dash to the line. All Euskaltel riders, except Andoni Lafuente who finished 18 seconds down, came in with the pack. More on the first stage to come.