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 1st and 4th on the Indurain GP – where Q. Simmons (🇺🇸 Lidl-Trek) 2nd 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)
I cant remember the last time i saw euskaltel win a race… i will always cheer for them, especially in their home race
I’d love an euskaltel victory, but I expect it will be between Seixas and del Toro. Rooting for the French wonderkid of course!
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.