Amets Txurruka

Amets Txurruka Ansola (born 10 November 1982) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2006 and 2016 for the , , and teams.

Career Born in Etxebarria in the Basque Country, Txurruka made his Tour de France debut in 2007, memorably participating (alongside Pierrick Fédrigo) in a breakaway during Stage 12 that was caught just from the finish line. This effort earned him the red back numbers for most combative rider the next day. He was also indirectly benefited when Michael Rasmussen was withdrawn from the Tour; Txurruka was third in the young rider classification, behind Alberto Contador and Mauricio Soler. With Contador wearing the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification because of Rasmussen's withdrawal, and Soler wearing the polka dot jersey as leader of the mountains classification, Txurruka wore the white jersey that is given to the leader of the young rider classification.

He was also chosen as the most combative rider of whole Tour, being the third Spanish rider in a row (after Óscar Pereiro and David de la Fuente) to earn that award.

Txurruka was released by at the end of the 2012 season, and joined for the 2013 season. In August 2015 announced that they had signed Txurruka on a one-year deal for 2016.

Major results

2005 9th Clásica Memorial Txuma 2006 5th GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano 8th Overall Vuelta a Asturias 8th Giro d'Oro 9th Overall Euskal Bizikleta 9th Overall Clásica Internacional de Alcobendas 2007 6th Overall Vuelta a La Rioja Tour de France

2009 6th Vuelta a La Rioja 8th Overall Vuelta a Asturias 10th Overall Tour de Luxembourg 2011 7th Klasika Primavera 8th Overall Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid

2012 6th Overall Vuelta a Asturias 2013

1st Stage 1 Tour of the Basque Country

5th Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid 9th Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León 2014

9th Klasika Primavera 9th Coppa Sabatini

2015 1st Stage 4 Tour of Norway 2nd Overall Vuelta a Asturias 3rd Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia 4th Overall Tour de Beauce 1st Stage 2 4th Overall Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid 4th Philadelphia International Cycling Classic 5th Overall Tour des Fjords

5th Giro dell'Appennino 7th GP Miguel Induráin 10th Grand Prix La Marseillaise 10th Klasika Primavera 10th Circuito de Getxo

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish