# 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 Barloworld, Euskaltel–Euskadi, Caja Rural–Seguros RGA and Orica–BikeExchange 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 1 km (0.6 mi) 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 He was also indirectly benefited when Michael Rasmussen was withdrawn from the Tour; Txurruka was third in the young rider classification, behind Alberto Contador and Mauricio Soler.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 Euskaltel–Euskadi at the end of the 2012 season, and joined Caja Rural for the 2013 season. In the Tour of the Basque Country, Txurruka won both the mountains and sprint classification jerseys after being part of long breakaways for the first three stages. In August 2015 Orica–GreenEDGE 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
       Combativity award Stage 12 & Overall

### 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
    Combativity award Stage 13 Vuelta a España

### 2012

    6th Overall Vuelta a Asturias

### 2013

    1st Overall Vuelta a Asturias
       1st Stage 1
    Tour of the Basque Country
       1st Mountains classification
       1st Sprints classification
    1st Mountains classification, Vuelta a Burgos
    5th Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid
    9th Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León

### 2014

    1st Overall Tour du Gévaudan Languedoc-Roussillon
    1st Mountains classification, Tour des Fjords
    9th Klasika Primavera
    9th Coppa Sabatini
    Combativity award Stage 4 Vuelta a España

### 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
       1st Mountains classification
    5th Giro dell'Appennino
    7th GP Miguel Induráin
    10th Grand Prix La Marseillaise
    10th Klasika Primavera
    10th Circuito de Getxo
    Combativity award Stage 7 Vuelta a España

### Grand Tour general classification results timeline

| Grand Tour | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
| Giro d'Italia | — | — | — | — | — | 42 | — | — | — | 55 |
| Tour de France | 23 | 52 | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | — | — | — | — |
| Vuelta a España | — | 45 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 25 | 48 | DNF | — |
Legend :
| — | Did not compete |
| DNF | Did not finish |