Luis León Sánchez (Illes Balears-Caisse d’Epargne) hopes his victory in the Mallorca Challenge will help put behind him some painful chapters that were threatening to overwhelm his promising career.

The 23-year-old claimed the unofficial overall title Thursday at the five-day Mallorca series (riders are allowed to pick and choose which stages they start) and he said the win takes some weight off his shoulders.

“I was motivated to achieve a victory as soon as possible to send it to my brother,” Sánchez told EFE, referring to his older brother who died in a quad accident last year. “I’ve done it and now I am little more tranquil even though it’s difficult to forget a loved one who’s no longer here.”

Sánchez also gave thanks to his teammates for helping to control Thursday’s attack-riddled final stage to conserve overall victory, his first since winning the Tour Down Under in 2005.

A strong time trialist and improving climber, Sánchez is one of Spain’s most promising talents, taking two wins in his rookie 2004 season and the Aussie stage race and another win in Spain in 2005.

After his former Liberty Seguros team was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping investigation, his future was thrown into doubt even though he was never directly linked to the scandal.

“I thank the team for signing me and confiding in me, what happened last season was horrible and things were looking bad after everything that happened with Liberty Seguros,” Sánchez said.

Having team captain Alejandro Valverde as a neighbor and training partner near Murcia probably helped Sánchez secure a contract with Caisse d’Epargne.

Up next for Sánchez is a serious run at Paris-Nice, his first major goal of the 2007 season.

Ullrich spotted on Mallorca
Jan Ullrich is still without a contract for 2007, but the 1997 Tour de France champion is still training to stay in shape if the opportunity arises.

Journalists covering the Mallorca Challenge this week spotted the redheaded German training discreetly on the many narrow roads splicing the Spanish island. Decked out in a black jersey, Ullrich was seen riding in one of his favorite training grounds while his professional colleagues were racing nearby in the five-day Mallorca Challenge.

Ullrich is still hoping the Swiss cycling federation – with whom he holds a racing license – will clear him to resume racing sometime this season. Ullrich was among nine riders forced out of last year’s Tour de France and his T-Mobile team later fired him for alleged links to controversial Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes.

Ullrich has maintained his innocence and vows to return to competition as soon as possible. Several teams have shown interest in the 32-year-old German.

ASO uncommitted on Basso
Top brass at ASO, organizers of such major properties as Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de France, have expressed uncertainty about whether Ivan Basso will be able to compete in their races later this season.

In recent public comments, both ASO president Patric Clerc and Tour director Christian Prudhomme have been hesitant about an imminent appearance by the new Discovery Channel rider in their events.

“We still don’t have enough information, but in any case, we will decide who will be invited,” Prudhomme told L’Equipe. “If it’s necessary, we will wait until June 30 to make the final decision. We stick to our principal: anyone who is harmful to the image of the Tour de France will not be allowed to race.”

Basso has found himself in the middle of a storm on speculation on whether he’ll be allowed to race the Tour this year. Despite being linked to the Puerto doping investigation, Italian officials last fall dropped all charges against the 2006 Giro d’Italia for lack of evidence.

Basso was among nine riders kicked out on the eve of the 2006 Tour for alleged links to Puerto investigation, but no concrete evidence has come forward to connect Basso to alleged ringleader Eufemiano Fuentes.

Team CSC and Basso agreed to part ways and it didn’t take long before Discovery Channel scooped up the Italian to lead their GC chances for 2007. Giro organizers have already said Basso is welcome to defend his title in the 2007 edition set to start May 12 in Sardinia.

Ballan dreams of cobble conquests
Alessandro Ballan had a breakthrough season in 2006 with an impressive string of results that pushed him to sixth overall in the final ProTour rankings. A solid sprinter and complete classics rider, the Italian was third at Paris-Roubaix, fifth at the Tour of Flanders, eighth at Milan-San Remo and second in the stage into Carcassone in the Tour de France.

This year, the Lampre-Fondital rider is dreaming of trading those close calls for an outright victory as he roars into the spring classics campaign. Milan-San Remo, Flanders and Roubaix will be fixed in his sights as his major goals for 2007.

“Based on my results last year, I think I can expect good success this year. A win would be even better,” Ballan told Velo 101 in an interview. “I think the Italian fans appreciate my efforts in such races of prestige as Tirreno-Adriatico and the northern classics. Their cheers animate me a lot in the race.”

Ballan, 27, feels like he’s riding into his peak form and expects to exploit that to the maximum in the northern classics. After a solid winter training program underscored by mild weather in his native Veneto region of Italy, Ballan said he’s optimistic for Flanders and Roubaix.

“Both races are very difficult and fascination races. Flanders requires strong legs to get past the series of walls along the route while Roubaix requires immense concentration to avoid punctures and crashes on the pavé,” he said. “I love both races and hope to someday write my name among the winners.”

Sprinter heaven in Ruta del Sol
Sunday’s start of the Ruta del Sol in southern Spain is bringing a world-class roster of sprinters pouring out of the woodwork. The lure of warm skies and smooth roads in attracting Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic), Robbie McEwen (Protector-Lotto) and Oscar Freire (Rabobank) to the five-day race in Spain’s Andalucia region.Some 105 riders from 15 teams will compete in the 823km, five-stage race that features rolling terrain well-suited for early season racing. None of the 11 rated climbs is steeper than a Category 3 rank, ideal for the sprinters to take center stage. Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Fondital) will be making his season debut along with Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto).