Alán pleased with Giro

Alán Pérez really came of age in the recently finished Giro d'Italia. Getting into two decisive breaks, placing a heartbraking 2nd on the first, put the Navarra native in the limelight for the first time in his young career. Yesterday he spoke to local newspaper Noticias de Navarra about his Giro experience. Here are excerpts from the interview: "I would love to return to the Giro one day. I'd happily do it again. I'm pleased with my own performance in this edition of the race, as I worked a lot for Koldo when I wasn't in the breaks. Coming so close to a win hurts though. At first we were 11, then we were two. I felt so angry when I crossed the line, because coming 2nd is not winning, even though the difference is minimal. Though, being a protagonist is important, so I'm happy. I also think the team as a whole left a good impression on the race. Our objective was to win a stage, something we couldn't muster, but we went so close so many times, placing 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th and 10th. I think we did our job well". Speaking on the rest of the season, he said: "The Tour's just around the corner, so that's not an option. But I would love to do the Vuelta again. If I did indeed get that chance, I'd spend my time recovering and preparing up until then." Alán did a good job in last year's Vuelta, lying 4th overall for a while, so I'd like to see him in that squad. With the level of performance he showed in the Giro, I think that's a certainty.