Astarloa's first day in Milram colours

Igor Astarloa's season with Milram has begun, the Basque raced twice on Wednesday, the opening day of the Tour Méditerranéen. Starting the day was a 26.2 kilometre team time trial, where the team finished 54 seconds down, and ending the day was a 107 kilometre stage, marked with rain and crashes, but one that garnered a third place for Astarloa.

"The ending was truly dangerous," said the 30 year-old to tuttobiciweb.com. "There was rain on the asphalt making it slippery and the wind was blowing in from the side. My teammates and I always rode up front in the first positions and in the end arrived a good result.

Remarking on his early season form, he said, "I am not at the top, but there is still time to work on this and a solid start to the season is always a good omen."

Thursday, the teams of the 34th Tour Méditerranéen will face only one stage, stage 3, from St Cannat to Marseille, 158 kilometres.