Sarah van Dam (Ceratizit) was the revelation of the 2025 Itzulia Women. The 23-year-old Canadian was at the pointy end of the race every day, finishing in the top-five on all three stages and securing a GC podium with a second place on stage 3 – all that in her first full European season.
"I'm a bit speechless, honestly, I just can't believe that happened. The team rode amazing, from the start we were really aggressive. We had a lot of cards to play, and I just want to thank everyone for all their hard work," Van Dam hadn't quite realised her success in the post-race interview.
Van Dam impressed on the first two stages already, placing fifth and fourth, but it was her performance on the third and final stage that put her on the GC podium. She was part of the group around yellow jersey Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime) over the decisive Mendizorrotz climb.
On the final kilometre, Van Dam responded to an attack by Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal) on the final kilometre and outsprinted her for second place on the stage, the bonus seconds putting her on the overall podium.
"It was a hard stage. I wasn't sure how it was going to go. I knew that after three days, it was going to be a hard day. I just had to keep fighting, and I fought to the end. I'm so happy," said Van Dam after the stage.
Bredewold lost the yellow jersey on the final stage but can look back on the Basque stage race with a smile, knowing that she achieved everything possible with two stage victories, second place overall and the points jersey.
"We knew it was going to be very difficult, and it's not a secret that we needed a little bit of a miracle. I actually had a really good day. I felt strong, but on the climbs, she [Vollering] is on another level now, so I should not be embarrassed about this. I can be super happy with second on GC and two stages. It's the highest possible at this moment for me," said Bredewold.
