Oroz was in the day's break and is getting more confident (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
First time Tour participant Juan José Oroz of Euskaltel Euskadi joined the break of the day in stage 12 with some 50 kilometres to go. But it became clear that the attempt would fail when the sprinters' teams hit the front in earnest. It was the first time Oroz had joined such a move.
Oroz had no regrets to make his move. "Little by little, I started to get into the race. I knew that today would be complicated. The sprinters' teams had shown a lot of interest to control the stage, but it was necessary to try it [the escape - ed.] There was a lot of wind, and you never know what might happen."
Overall, Oroz is happy with his inaugural Tour attempt. "For being my first Tour, things are going very well. I am starting to get confidence in my abilities. There are still many stages to go and we will try again, hopefully with more luck." Oroz is 102nd in GC, one hour and 20 minutes behind Evans. But his move may have sparked the desire for more moves in the coming days.
Euskaltel Euskadi has the big objective of taking out at least one stage win. The team has been quiet so far with results in this year's Tour de France, although it certainly put its share of work in on the front, especially in the mountains.
For the other objective, to place a rider within the top 10, Euskaltel Euskadi has two options. Mikel Astarloza is ranked ninth, at 3'51 of Evans. Samuel Sánchez is 35 seconds and two places behind Astarloza.
Stay tuned for a closer look on Oroz at Cyclingnews. He is the only rider in the pro peloton to have completed all the monuments since last October.
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