Fernandez nets win for Basque team

Euskaltel – Euskadi's Koldo Fernández de Larrea won the 64th Circuito de Getxo, besting Colombian Juan Pablo Forero (Columbia es passion) and Contentpolis – Ampo's Mikel Gaztañaga in the bunch sprint.

"I am really happy, this victory gives me a lot of satisfaction," said Fernández after the finish. "I want to dedicate this victory to my teammates who did great work in the race. We worked to chase down the breakaway group and in the last turn were able to position me great and to win the race. My next race will be the Vuelta a Burgos and I hope to be able to win any stage."

After a moment of remembrance of the deceased Ricardo Otxoa, 122 riders set out to tackle the 11 laos to total 185,35 kilometers around the little village Getxo at the Gulf of Bizkaia.

During the first lap a group of eleven riders attacked, amongst them Oleg Chuzda and Francisco Pacheco (Contentpolis Ampo), Euskaltel-Euskadi's Jorge Azanza and Iñaki Isasi, David López from Caisse d'Epargne, Francisco José Martínez Pérez and Javier Ramírez Abeja from Andalucía – Cajasur, Xacobeo Galicia's Carlos Castaño, Vicente García de Mateo from Andorra-Grandvalira and Fuji-Servetto's Héctor González and Beñat Intxausti.

This group reached a maximal advantage of two minutes and 35 seconds. In the peloton, Boyaca es para vivirla, Orbea and Euskaltel – Euskadi did the work to keep the break at a reasonable distance.

The sun began to shine on the fourth lap and gave energy to the peloton to begin the work of hauling back in the escapees.

Up ahead, Martínez was busy netting himself the mountain classifications, winning all but one sprint. Beñat Intxausti was able to get the better of the Andalucia-Cajasur rider on lap seven.

By the eighth lap, the peloton was beginning to shatter due to the difficult course, and the break also faded and was reabsorbed by the reduced chasing bunch. Orbea's young Jonathan Castroviejo still had enough energy to launch a counter-attack, but lasted only one lap.

The public along the beach of Getxo was animating the riders when the peloton, consisting only of 45 riders, came into the home straight. Fernández de Larrea was able to position himself well and to win the bunch sprint ahead of Forero and Gaztañaga.
Only 106 riders finished the race, the last group came in 8 minutes and 42 seconds after the winner.