this post was submitted on 05 Apr 2026
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Race thread: 🇪🇸 Tour of Basque Country, Apr 6 – 11 (itzulia.eus)
submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by Deschanel2027@sh.itjust.works to c/procycling@lemmy.world
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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.

PCS page

🌞 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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[–] Deschanel2027@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 6 minutes ago) (1 children)

Stage 6 (final)

What a difficult Tour of Basque country this was! The riders had no time for a nap since the first minute...

Lipowitz (🇩🇪 Bora) played with fire until the last yards. Why the heck was he hanging in last position of his group? He was lucky not to take a split, and that on the contrary, Johanessen (~~🇩🇰~~🇳🇴 Uno-X) was very unlucky to be counted a split in his own group. Anyway, it was a good idea to 'secure' his GC position yesterday!

I never understood where Riccitello (🇺🇸 Decathlon) was. The movement of Seixas (🇫🇷 Decathlon) and the location of his movement didn't make any sense if his American teammate wasn't ahead and able to drop to help him.

edit: did the whole Decathlon team (but Seixas) collapse or what? At the moment on PCS, I see 4 DNF, and the only 2 survivors, Riccitello and Staune-Mittet🇳🇴, at 20 mn...

Congratulation to Johanessen~~🇩🇰~~🇳🇴 and Uno-X for their action today. It was obvious in each climb, that they didn't have the climbing chops others (like the comical duo Soler🇪🇸–Healy🇮🇪) have, yet they managed, thanks to a good pace averaging, to create gaps with behind, and reduce gaps with the front. They are rewarded by a podium, which looked unreachable in the morning. They missed the 2^nd^ place for nothing, but eh, this is already a great comeback.

Roglitch (🇸🇮 Bora) drowned under the return of the Basque weather which poured all the rain it hadn't poured in a week.

G. Martin (🇫🇷 FDJ) was in every breakaway those last days, but is always too weak for the finish, and I think that even with so many favourites staying behind today, he was too far to make it back into top-10?

[–] CarstenBoll@feddit.dk 2 points 45 minutes ago (1 children)

Johanessen (🇩🇰 Uno-X)

You've done it again, but in the reverse :D

[–] Deschanel2027@sh.itjust.works 1 points 8 minutes ago* (last edited 5 minutes ago)

Are you sure he didn't change nationality?

Hem, well, okay, okay, I'll have him sail the Skagerrak the other way round. 😃

Looking at what the actual Danes did today, I see that Cort was part of the 50 (!) withdrawals today.

[–] Deschanel2027@sh.itjust.works 1 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Stage 5

Lipowitz (🇩🇪 Bora) opted for securing his GC podium, instead of winning a stage. I am not sure why he didn't follow Seixas (🇫🇷 Decathlon) in the descent yesterday, as today he looked easier than the Frenchman he was following downhill.

At Decathlon, Prodhomme🇫🇷 was the main helper today, while Riccitello🇺🇸 couldn't do much.

Will there be an accident tomorrow, a flat tyre, an earthquake, a terrible flood, locusts or will it be the day the French curse stops? 😱 😱 😱

19 years without a single WT GC victory. That's hundreds and hundreds of WT races that were raced since. Heck, the last WT race won (by a Moreau🇫🇷 more loaded than 200 ravers after their 3^rd^ night of party in the mud) actually took place before WT was created...

edit: I hadn't paid attention, but Tullett (🇬🇧 Visma) and even more so Skjelmose (🇩🇰 Lidl-Trek) vanished from top-10 today. Another disappointment for Lidl-Trek this year. And the directeur sportif (a Dane too) got a yellow card and a pretty fine for assaulting Beloki Jr (🇪🇸 EF) with his car. 🤪

[–] 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Basque win in the basque race! Everthing in the world feels right again! (if only for a few moments)

[–] Deschanel2027@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

If Aranburu🇪🇸 and them only rode for Euskatel-Euskadi...

please God, yes.... i want to see a euskalel-euskadi win!!!

[–] Deschanel2027@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Stage 1 (ITT)

Well, there were a couple of surprises...

Two of the favourites failed: Ayuso (🇪🇸 Lidl-Trek) wasn't in the game, and Del Toro (🇲🇽 UAE) was rather far too.

The margin Seixas (🇫🇷 Décathlon) created was larger than expected. Of course, the failure of the guys listed above helped.

I didn't think of Van Wilder (🇧🇪 Soudal-QS) as a potential chance. Yet, he scored a good result today. On the contrary, Uijtdebroeks (🇧🇪 Movistar) failed and is out of the game already.

We seem to have several leadership issues (or abundance that may become an advantage or an issue later).

As a result of the fist event, will Skjelmose🇩🇰 and Großschartner🇦🇹 (or McNulty🇺🇸?) become the respective leaders of Lidl-Trek and UAE? Perhaps it is too soon to decide, and will happen what will happen on the courses.

Bora ends up with a two-headed lead with both Roglitch🇸🇮 and Lipowitz🇩🇪 producing solid performances. It is a bit the same at Ineos, with Vauquelin🇫🇷 and August🇺🇸.

The first FDJ comes after 1 minute... And G. Martin🇫🇷, who usually cannot hope anything about stages given his negative punch and has to rely on GC, is significantly farther...

Picnic continues its year in hell.

ITTs are generally terrible for small teams, this one doesn't differ. First Pro Team riders are, I believe, I. Izagirre (🇪🇸 Cofidis) and Kron (🇩🇰 Uno-X), 24^th^ at 1 minute.

[–] CarstenBoll@feddit.dk 2 points 4 days ago

Ironically, that's a fantastic ITT by Kron.

[–] 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I cant remember the last time i saw euskaltel win a race.... i will always cheer for them, especially in their home race

[–] CarstenBoll@feddit.dk 3 points 5 days ago

I'd love an euskaltel victory, but I expect it will be between Seixas and del Toro. Rooting for the French wonderkid of course!

[–] Deschanel2027@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago

Euskatel has become a weak team for years. Each time there is a better Basque rider showing up, it get snatched by a bigger Spanish team.

I see that J. Lastra moved from Cofidis to their team. And he is on the present tour.

[–] Deschanel2027@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Stage 2 (Tuesday 7/4/2026)

The major climb is 7,7 % average, but if we look at its profile, there are plenty of little flat sections, which means that the climb is irregular, and that the slopes are steeper than what the average exhibits.

[–] Deschanel2027@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Among those who had problems with the TT yesterday, Del Toro (🇲🇽 UAE) was better in the main climb and Uijtdebroeks (🇧🇪 Movistar) much better. Unfortunately for them, the group of riders in which they were played quite the same role as the group of mostly French riders in Paris-Nice, far behind Vingegaard; except that here they were far behind Ze Elect (🇫🇷 Decathlon), and that infighting rather took the appearance of a reluctance to help each other.

Seixas🇫🇷 climbed like in Ardèche (same 'tactic' too: no finesse, just sitting at the front and destroying the pedals after the team thinned the peloton, very modern...), creating a gap of 45-50 seconds in the climb itself, and an extra 20-25 seconds in the descent. I hear all commentators marvel about his descending skills and trajectories, but I am rather worried: he is super high on his bike; and he 'twists' his body, which means he is on the wrong angle/balance and can never inflect his trajectory if it becomes needed. So far, it passes, but I am afraid it won't always.

After his first WT TT stage yesterday, Ze Elect wins his first WT mass start stage today. Well... In GC, that's 2 minutes before the two Bora riders already! We've already seen spectators throwing themselves to the ground to prostate themselves before Him!

The old Roglitch (🇸🇮 Bora) is faithful to tradition: he managed to snatch a time bonus in the end! 😊

I. Izagirre (🇪🇸 Cofidis) and Baudin (🇫🇷 EF) leaped into the top-10. Both were on the podium of the Indurain GP just 3 days ago: the shape is well there!

G. Martin🇫🇷 managed to crash with a teammate in a climb, but still finished in 20^th^ position of the stage (or wasn't he part of that double crash?).

We seem to have several leadership issues (or abundance that may become an advantage or an issue later). Bora ends up with a two-headed lead with both Roglitch🇸🇮 and Lipowitz🇩🇪 producing solid performances. It is a bit the same at Ineos, with Vauquelin🇫🇷 and August🇺🇸.

The 'problem' vanished today, as the Frenchman is now out of top-20 and the American at 15 minutes: no more Ineos in Gc...