An exceptional plateau expected in the Basque Country. Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic will be lined up for the cycling event from Monday for a week which should be rich in lessons in view of the Tour de France.
Apart from Tadej Pogacar, who continues to prepare for the Giro in his corner, all the headliners expected on the Tour de France will compete during the six stages until Saturday. They will be well supported since riders like Sepp Kuss, Jai Hindley, Simon Yates, Tom Pidcock Warren Barguil and David Gaudu will also be there to brighten up the week between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
This casting worthy of a Tour de France promises sparks on a course that is inevitably hilly, given the configuration of the Basque Country with a final stage on Saturday in Eibar that is particularly mountainous including seven climbs in just 138 km, including the brutal Krabelin (5 km to 9 .6%).
Roglic expected after a disappointing Paris-Nice
This will be the first time that we find three of the four main candidates for victory in the Tour de France in the same race this year. It will also be the first time that Vingegaard, double winner of the Tour de France, will be pitted against his former teammate Roglic since the Slovenian’s departure from the Visma-Lease a Bike team this winter.
The state of form of Roglic, now with Bora-Hansgrohe, will be scrutinized after his very disappointing Paris-Nice (10th overall). He is generally at ease in the Basque Country where he won twice, in 2018 and 2021. Vingegaard, outgoing winner, is already in great shape as shown by his crushing victories on the Gran Camino and Tirreno -Adriatico.
The Tour of the Basque Country will also be an opportunity for Remco Evenepoel to compete for the first time this year against Vingegaard and we will follow with interest his duo with Mikel Landa, recruited this winter to be his sherpa in the mountains.
“I can’t wait to return to the Basque Country,” emphasizes Evenepoel, three-time winner of the Clasica San Sebastián, “and I am particularly looking forward to doing this race with Mikel in his native region, which is so passionate about cycling.” The Belgian will aim for the leader’s jersey from the first stage on Monday, a 10 km time trial in Irún.
The Tour of the Basque Country will be followed every day from Monday at 3:30 p.m. on Eurosport 1. The last stage scheduled for Saturday April 6 will be broadcast from 3 p.m.
