This year’s Vuelta al País Vasco runs from the 7th to the 12th of April, and promises six intense days packed with excitement. In this edition of the Tour of the Basque Country, the cyclists will cover 992.5 kilometres split between six stages. The route starts with an individual time trial, and includes 26 mountain passes: three Category 1, seven Category 2, and sixteen Category 3.
The Team Bahrain Victorious line-up comprises Pello Bilbao, Santiago Buitrago, Jack Haig, Finlay Pickering, Mathijs Paasschens, Robert Stannard and Max van der Meulen.
The opening test against the clock is 16.5 km, starting and finishing at the Buesa Arena stadium in Vitoria-Gasteiz. The first half of the stage includes several steep climbs, including the road to the village of Arzubiaga, which will determine the first wearer of the mountain jersey. We are not expecting big differences between the favourites.
The longest day this year is almost 200 km. Stage 2 traverses Navarre, from Iruña to Lodosa. The stage will include constant climbs and descents, but just one Category 3 pass.
The third stage (along with the sixth) could be decisive. After two relatively straightforward profiles, a tough, shorter day awaits involving 7 mountain passes with continuous climbs and descents. The mountain passes are not too hard in and of themselves, 5 of which are Category 3, but they will certainly take their toll on the cyclists’ legs over the final kilometres.
On stage 4 the cyclists will once again encounter 7 mountain passes, including the Category 1 Izua. It’s a climb that will undoubtedly decide who wins the stage and may even make a difference in the general classification. The climb will not follow the main road nor the Krabelin to Arrate ascent but depart from the Matsaria industrial estate on a very narrow road between farmhouses, with gradients up to 20%.
The fifth stage arrives in the town of Pello Bilbao, Gernika. The Bahrain Victorious rider has been involved in its design. After the start, the route will head towards Amurrio and then back to Urduña, before leaving for Gernika. Along the way, the riders will have to overcome 4 mountain passes and position themselves well in sections of the last part of the route if they want to clinch the stage.
Eibar will once again host the final stage, with both the start and finish lines located in Plaza Unzaga. With 7 mountain passes, 3 of which are Category 3, over the more than 150 km route. Undoubtedly a very lively stage will decide who wins this year’s Itzulia.
Sports director Neil Stephens said: ”We are going to Itzulia this year with really high expectations. Pello is in great shape, he has had a fantastic year so far and we are hoping to continue this year throughout the Basque Country. We are aiming for at least one stage win this year. Gernika is a high point for Pello, but there are also one or two other stages that we will be aiming for us as well. GC is also an important part for us here in the Basque Country and a top-five result would be great I think it is a realistic goal as well. Santiago has been training well. He is coming off an injury from Paris-Nice and we are confident that he is in great shape but going out to another level and going out to race fitness is another thing. We know he has worked hard but we are not exactly sure if he will get back the level on this race. Jack, coming off the illness, has been working solidly, more with Finlay and even more with Lenny in other races, but he is in great shape as a solid strong worker in the mountains as well. The rest of the support team are Mathijs, Finlay, Robert and Max. Such a good young team, such a good energetic team and willing to support Pello in his goals.
The day-by-day summary: We start the race with a time trial. It’s strange for the Tour de Basque Country, a non-technical time trial. We are just going to be fast, and one for the time trial specialists. We hope to be at the same time with the GC riders on that stage with Pello and to go on from there. The first road stage, stage 2 is flat. Generally should be a sprint but we are going into some open, windy areas in Navarra. I would say we have to be attentive to that. Stage 3, is one of the objective days. It has got some high climbs, and technical descent as well, but we have to be smart the way we do it because it has got some flat areas and so it is not about going hard and rough from the start, we have to be careful where we spend our energy. Stage 4 into Markina. It is a really extremely hard stage finish. It is quite tricky throughout the day as well, but the stage finish and climbing, topping at 11 km to go is going to be quite tricky. Stage 5 into Gernika. One of if not the biggest stage for us to go for. I know that Pello has had a lot to do with the design of the stage. It is really not only a hard stage, but it is also a really picturesque stage into the area around where Pello was brought up and lives at the moment. Then from then on to the ‘Queen Stage’ into Eibar where the race could turn on its head. We could be not after GC and come on that stage or we could be the way around so really we will cross that bridge when it comes to it. We are really looking forward to a good solid race. One good thing is that the sun is out in the Basque Country today and we hope to have that sort of weather throughout next week as well.”
Pello Bilbao said: “Itzulia is in the end for me the most special race of the season. I am always super excited before starting Itzulia and even maybe for the rest of the riders in the peloton is not the same. For me, it is my favourite race no doubt and this edition, especially with a stage here in my town. It is going to be even more. I am looking forward to it and I could even take part in advising a bit in the parcours of the stage in my town and I hope everything goes all right and I hope that we will have a great week of cycling here. This year I really like the parcours, I think it suits me really well with the long ITT and then with mountain top finishes. It is going to be everything kind of like small classics and I think we have a pretty strong team with maybe even Santi, that can be ready for the overall, we don’t know, maybe he needs to give him some more time to recover from the crash in Paris Nice, but hopefully he is also ready for the action. I am super excited and everything is ready, I can’t ask for more. The last week has been great. I could do some nice training in the last few days, so everything is on the line.”
