this post was submitted on 05 Apr 2026
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This 6-stage race (Monday to Saturday) starts with a Time Trial, and then goes on with a collection of steep hills everyday. Even the Time Trial is not flat at all, starting with a 2.5 km climb, and finishing with a smaller but steeper one.
🌞 Weather forecast: a very un-Basque weather (no rain), and the first days are going to be very hot for the season.
🚴♂️ Teams:
We'll get to see Del Toro (🇲🇽 UAE), Ayuso (🇪🇸 Lidl-Trek), Seixas (🇫🇷 Decathlon), Roglitch🇸🇮 and Lipowitz🇩🇪 (Bora) for GC. Perhaps Landa (🇪🇸 Soudal-QS), McNulty (🇺🇸 UAE), Uijtdebroeks (🇧🇪 Movistar) and one Ineos behind them. For stages, we can watch the 2 Basques from Cofidis who are always in shape at this time of the year when they smell home: I. Izagirre🇪🇸 and Aranburu🇪🇸 who just made 1^st^ and 4^th^ on the Indurain GP – where Q. Simmons (🇺🇸 Lidl-Trek) 2^nd^ seemed to have finally found his good legs too; as well as the EF team (Healy🇮🇪 and others); I am not about the shape of Astana riders at the moment.
🗺 General map (they picked the separatist version, where Spain and France do not exist, and the Basque Country includes parts in France):
Stage 1 (Monday 6, Time Trial)
Stage 2 (Tuesday 7)
Stage 3 (Wednesday 8)
Stage 4 (Thursday 9)
Stage 5 (Friday 10)
Stage 6 (Saturday 11, last day)
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Basque win in the basque race! Everthing in the world feels right again! (if only for a few moments)
Stage 4 9/4/2026
Indeed the two Spanish Basques from Cofidis were on fire. They are on fire at the moment, it is their saint time of the year when they race at home, and Izagirre🇪🇸 is giving everything he has, since he has decided 2026 would be his last year in pro cycling.
Aranburu🇪🇸's victory happens exactly 1 year to the day after last Cofidis victory in WT races, which was... Aranburu🇪🇸 on the Basque Country Tour!
Today they did 1^st^ and 4^th^, as on the Indurain GP: they just switched position. And that allows Izagirre🇪🇸 to climb to position 4 in GC too, as those who stayed with the Bora boys lost time. I mean, this area of GC is pretty crowded, but still, the podium is just 1 second away.
By the way, those who joined Seixas🇫🇷 (who had left in the descent) were all Basques: Izagirre🇪🇸, Bilbao🇪🇸 (Bahrain) and Arrieta🇪🇸 (UAE). If Aranburu🇪🇸 and them only rode for Euskatel-Euskadi...
I saw G. Martin (🇫🇷 FDJ) doing a fast descent. I wouldn't be surprised if it would freeze in hell tomorrow. 😆 Anyway, after 3 stage victories by french riders, today a French team won: there is something abnormal in the air.
The Bora boys tried several to attack Seixas🇫🇷 (and of course the guys just behind them in GC), to no avail.
The Decathlon team is surprisingly resistant in the role of leading team, IMO. I mean Riccitello is where one can expect him to be, but Bisiaux🇫🇷 is probably better than expected, and other ones manage to work long enough.
please God, yes.... i want to see a euskalel-euskadi win!!!