By @jmhers
The path of the week-long stage races leads us to the next stop: Itzulia, in Spanish the Tour of the Basque Country. A famous competition for its mountainous nature and for the contribution of the Basque fans who on both sides of the Pyrenees pride themselves on being one of the most passionate and respectful of cycling. Reigning Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard will be the number one figure to beat from a long list of contenders.
Route
The 62nd edition of Itzulia (‘Vuelta’, in Basque) will take place between April 3 and 8, over 6 stages and 992 km. Two novelties are obvious in terms of the route: first, this edition will not include an individual time trial, which used to be held in the first stage and put the first differences in the general.
The second: the climb to Arrate is not included, which since 2010 had been one of the decisive climbs of the race.
Despite these changes, the Itzulia maintains its essence as a mountain race with very little flat terrain. However, do not expect too long climbs as the Basque Country’s geography is characterized by offering shorter climbs (below 7 km in length) but more explosive and with quite hard segments.
Stage 1: Vitoria-Gasteiz – Labastida 165.4 km
This first online stage, which replaces the time trial of recent years, is designed to loosen up the legs and be decided in a sprint. Perhaps the only opportunity for a massive finish in the six days of competition.
But since we are in Itzulia, this cannot be so easy: in the last third of the day there may be a crosswind, and the second intermediate sprint in Laguardia is located on a slope with a gradient of over 6%; the last two kilometers also sting up with some ramps at 8%. The stage may be decided by the few fast men in attendance, but with the winding finish there is more chance of a smaller sprint among riders with a flair for the hills.
Stage 2: Viana – Leitza 193.8 km
This will be the longest day of this edition. The Arkisil port will be climbed twice, each one by different slopes, the second being with fairly benevolent slopes of around 3 to 4%, and it is crowned 5 km from the finish line. What will be decisive in the stage will be the descents that will have very technical sections, especially those last difficult kilometers downhill to the finish line.
Stage 3: Renteria – Amasa-Villabona 162.2 km
First really difficult day for the men of the General. Lots of short climbs but difficult inclines make this a potentially treacherous day. The last 25 km approximately are perfect for ambushes as they have 4 levels, all of them very explosive with double-digit slopes, while the last km has an average slope of 11.7% and a brutal wall of 26% in the last 400 meters. If any team hardens from a little far from the finish line, several riders can lose valuable time; And even if the favorites reach that last brutal km together, a moment of weakness can cause substantial time losses.
Stage 4: Santurtzi – Santurtzi 175.7 km
Stage where few things are likely to happen until reaching the port of La Asturiana (7.4 km at 6.3% average) but with ramps of up to 10% in the first half and which is crowned 15 km from the finish line. Depending on how the GC teams take it, the stage win may be for the breakaway. Among the favorites we can expect attacks in La Asturiana, especially from those who have left some time the day before.
Stage 5: Ekin – Amorebieta-Etxano 164.5 km
Another stage, like the third, perfect for ganking and getting creative with strategies. It will be another very broken day in which the last scoring climb will be that of Belarrinaga, 25 km from the finish line, but after this there will be another four uncategorized slopes but with slopes above 7% and up to 9.6% where It can cause damage. The stage ends in descent.
The team strategy will be useful to help the leaders navigate this treacherous stage until the last 10km, but on those explosive climbs at the end it will already be a leg measurement between the GC men and as guests those seeking the stage.
Etapa 6: Eibar – Eibar 137,8 km
The last and most important stage of this edition. Traditionally, this final day would include the climb to Arrate mentioned above, but in the absence of this emblematic port, the organization proposes an even more interesting route.
Seven categorized ports will be uploaded in this stage, longer ports than in previous days where teamwork will be more influential. One of the most complicated mountains of the day, the Krabelin, is placed halfway through the course and will add a lot of wear and tear on the legs for what lies ahead: the most decisive climb of the day, Izua. With 4.1 km at an average slope of 9% and a maximum of 14%, it will be crowned with 27 km to go. Ahead of Izua there will still be an ascent, but with much smoother slopes where it will be difficult to do any damage. Those who seek to win Itzulia must move to Izua or it will be too late.
Stake
With these profiles it is natural that the payroll is composed in its overwhelming majority by climbers of different characteristics. We will also have several Tour de France contenders on the starting line.
And it is precisely the reigning champion of the Tour who attracts all the reflectors. Jonas Vingegaard comes from sweeping O Gran Camiño and doing a good Paris Nice, although overshadowed by his great rival Pogacar. In this Itzulia he will be able to run without the pressure of having the Slovenian attack every once in a while. He brings an adequate team, but far from the galactic roster that they will surely take to the Tour. Vingegaard is undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best climber in the world, but we’ll see how he responds to that final 27%.
On the warpath against the Danish Jumbo player there is a long list of favorites with notable credentials. There is Daniel Felipe Martínez, the reigning champion of this race who has had a somewhat lackluster start to the season, without having been able to show his best level in the mountains; This Itzulia could be the opportunity for the Colombian to find the best version of himself like last year and announce what he could do on the Tour. On the Ineos payroll, the presence of Egan Bernal stands out, who continues his recovery and should run without too much responsibility; Castroviejo and Fraile the calls to be decisive gregarious.
| Luis Gomez
Education First will participate with a roster headed by Richard Carapaz and some of the names they are surely considering for the Tour team. The Olympic Champion has started his season with a lot of modesty, as he usually does, so we will wait until the stages go by to see how fit he is. Esteban Chaves and Rigoberto Urán can also have a good overall, and between the whole team they can become an important collective force in the most decisive moments of the race, if they run cohesively.
David Gaudu comes to the Basque Country after a spectacular Paris Nice in which he beat Vingegaard himself. Was what he did in France a momentary brilliance, or has the Groupama leader already announced conditions for the Tour? We will find out in this Itzulia. His equipment is good for this type of terrain but nothing special either, maybe in several instances he has to fend for himself, but that hasn’t stopped him in the past. On the other hand, there is the UAE that, in the absence of Pogacar for the classics, has a versatile team with Soler and Formolo as main runners, seeking to hit the ground. Enric Mas, who has been ambitious at the start of the season, leads a Movistar in which Guerreiro and Aranburu will be his key squires; The orography of the Basque Country can be complicated for a more diesel climber like him, but the motivation factor at Movistar is exceeding expectations.
Mikel Landa, Ion Izaguirre, Simon Yates or Sergio Higuita are other very relevant riders for the general classification, who can condition the race and seek the podium both for their characteristics and for the legs they have shown in recent weeks.
The appointment is made for one of the most exciting one-week races on the calendar, with the Grand Tours already looming on the horizon.
Forecast
**** Jonas Vingegaard
*** David Gaudu, Daniel Felipe Martínez, Enric Mas, Ion Izaguirre.
** Sergio Higuita, Stephen Keys, Richard Carapaz, Mikel Landa
Marcelo Hernandez
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