Escobar back on the road

By Antonio J. Salmerón

Spanish track rider Sergi Escobar is hoping to re-launch his road career after winning bronze in the individual pursuit at the World Track Championships in Majorca. Escobar, who rides for Spanish Continental team Grupo Nicolás Mateos, has found renewed motivation after a bleak 2006 where he missed out on a world championship medal in Bordeaux.

"In the last few years I have always made the podium at the World Championships and also the Olympic Games," said Escobar. "But in 2006 I failed and that always generates doubts. This season I felt very good and have conquered my seventh medal in big competitions. This is an injection of moral before the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, but I do not think about that now. Now, I am focused on the road."

The 32 year-old's first race will be the Klasika Primavera in Spain on April 15, but further down the line Escobar hopes to be on song for the Clásica de Alcobendas and Vuelta a Madrid. "I have in mind the time trial stage of the Clásica de Alcobendas because it suits my characteristics very well," he said. "There are a lot of competitions, let's hope I can take advantage of some of these opportunities."