As it happened: Breakaway comes out on top at stage 3 of Itzulia Basque Country
One for the hardy sprinters on a 152.8km loop around Basauri
Itzulia Basque Country 2026 Preview
Itzulia Basque Country 2026 Route
Results
Position | Rider (Country) Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
1 | Axel Laurance (Fra) INEOS Grenadiers | 3:38:33 |
2 | Igor Arrieta (Esp) UAE Team Emirates-XRG | +0:00:02 |
3 | Natnael Tesfatsion (Eri) Movistar Team | +0:00:14 |
4 | Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step | +0:00:14 |
5 | Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility | +0:00:18 |
6 | James Shaw (Gbr) EF Education-EasyPost | +0:00:21 |
7 | Clément Braz Afonso (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United | +0:00:24 |
8 | Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) XDS Astana Team | +0:00:24 |
9 | Guillaume Martin (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United | +0:00:24 |
10 | Reuben Thompson (Nzl) Lotto Intermarché | +0:00:34 |
Hello and welcome to stage three of Itzulia Basque Country!
After yesterday’s big GC sort-out, today will be a much milder day in terms of parcours. There are still plenty of hills on the menu, however, and though this might be the best chance for a bunch sprint this week, it’s far from guaranteed.
Paul Seixas leads the race after a jaw-dropping attack on the final climb yesterday, and it’s difficult to see how his rivals are going to gain the two minutes + they need to gain on him.
Having won the first two stages back-to-back, we expect him to take more of a back seat today - but such is his form that we can’t be sure he’s not hungry for more success.
There might not be a single climb hard enough to draw the GC contenders out, but the total of 2,824m of climbing throughout the day makes it a testing one that many puncheurs might back themselves to go for the stage win.
Mikel Landa is not here today, having pulled out overnight due to his heavy crash yesterday. Thankfully, his team reported that he did not suffer any fractures or long-term damage, so hopefully it won’t be long before we see him racing again.
The driver of the vehicle who caused Landa’s crash also won’t be here today, after the UCI commissaires expelled them from the race.
145 riders who are left in the race are on the move, taking off from the unofficial start. We'll have racing soon!
The cycling world is still deep into classics season, and, away from the Basque Country, two more races are happening today - both of which we have coverage of.
In the women’s Scheldeprijs, many of the world’s sprinters are hoping to capitalise on the absence of Lorena Wiebes to take a big win.
And in the men’s Scheldeprijs, Tim Merlier is back and hoping to seal a third consecutive title, but is up against quality and in-form opposition in Jasper Philipsen and Dylan Groenewegen.
A reminder of what happened at yesterday's stage.
Anders Halland Johannessen and Baptiste Veistroffer are on the attack.
That duo has been brought back.
With so many riders no longer a threat on GC, and on a day with parcours that could suit many types of riders, today's could be a very competetive fight to get into the day’s break.
Maxime Decomble and the man in the King of the Mountain's jersey, Joan Bou, are the latest riders to make a move.
Veistroffer is purusuing them, after his initial attempt to go clear failed. He's clearly in the mood today.
Veistroffer has joined the other two, and they have 30 seconds on the peloton. This is looking promising for them.
And now they've been clawed back - the race is all together again.
The riders are currently climbing a small unclassified hill, typical of today's undulating terrain.
It’s another warm day out there in the Basque Country, with a temperature of over 20 degrees. So far this race has not been affected by the kind of rain weather familiar from past editions and that this part of the world is renowned for - the tourist board must be grateful, not to mention the riders taking part.
The race is very much on as attackers try to form a break, and there’s been a split in the bunch.
The peloton is all back together again having been split earlier.
Iñigo Elosegui and, yet again, Baptiste Veistroffer have attacked and have a small lead.
The peloton is chasing this one down too, though, their initial lead of 25 seconds having decreased to 15 seconds.
There are only 10km left in the women's Scheldeprijs. You can follow all the action with us here.
We have a development - a large group of eleven riders have joined the two leaders at the front.
There are some big names too, including Tejada, who is a threat on GC in tenth overall.
Ben Healy, Magnus Cort, Quinn Simmons and Steven Kruijswijk are other riders present in this group.
That group has been caught - it was surely too dangerous to allow up the road.
There are more splits in the peloton, which now appears to be in three different groups.
The first and second groups have come together, but the third lags behind still.
Marc Soler, im typical agressive fashion, was briefly off the front of the race, but has been caught by the front peloton.
The riders are climbing the Alto de los Heros, which, despite its difficult vital stats of a 5.4% average for 3.3km, has not been classified. Parcours at Itzulia Basque Country are always deceptively tricky, with hidden difficulties like this.
The parcours really is testing at the moment. They’re currently going up another unclassified climb, which averages 5.8% for 2km.
Ilan Van Wilder and Axel Laurance are the latest riders to try a move. The latter comes as a bit of a surprise, as he'd be one of the favourites in a bunch finish.
Van Wilder and Laurance are part of a large group of 15 that's gone clear. Will the peloton chase this one down too, or are they at the end of their tether?
Fortunato and King of the Mountains Bou are in this new lead group.
As is Tobias Halland Johannessen, who would have been a contender for the yellow jersey had he not lost over four minutes yesterday.
Johannessen is one of 6 riders in this group under 6 minutes down on GC - the others being Van Wilder, Guillaume Martin, Clément Braz Afonso, Lorenzo Fortunato and Jardi Christiaan van der Lee.
A few riders managed to bridge up to the group, meaning there are a total of 14 in it now.
Almost a minute and a half for the group now. It seems the pelotonhas sat up, and, at long last, the stage has its break of the day.
We'll bring you a full list of everone who's in this break shortly.
So, the 14 riders who lead the race are:
Ilan Van Wilder
Tobias Halland Johannessen
Lorenzo Fortunato
Guillaume Martin
Clément Braz Afonso
Jardi Christiaan van der Lee
James Shaw
Joan Bou
Matthew Dinham
Reuben Thompson
Natnael Tesfatsion
Sinuhé Fernández
Igor Arrieta
A glimpse of the fight in the peloton earlier, before the break formed.
Del Toro might have been beneath his best in the previous two stages, but he was still decently positioned on GC, in eighth at 2:44.
Having been worn down all day by the undulating terrain, the riders are about to take on the first proper climb - the category two Puerto de la Barrerilla. This one rises for 5km at 6.5%, and the plateau at the top is the highest point of the day.
The peloton aren’t happy to give this break much leeway after all! They’ve brought the gap down to 50 seconds. This isn’t looking so good for the break after all.
This climb could be important for the strong climbers in the break to up the pace and increase their lead, even if it means dropping those less fast going uphill.
Two Euskaltel - Euskadi are in between the break and the peloton - Mikel Bizkarra and Jonathan Lastra. Rather than lead the peloton's chase, they're trying to make their own way to the break.
It seems the timing of 50 seconds was not that between the leaders, but rather between them and the two Euskaltel chasers. The break have a comfortable lead after all, of two minutes on the peloton.
We have a reason for Del Toro's abandon - he was indeed involved in a crash. It wasn't too heavy, and he managed to get back on his feet and ten his bike, but was bad enough for him to pull out.
We're learning that other were involved in that crash, too, including Ben Tulett and Alex Baudin, who were sixth and fifth overall respectivley. Nobody else abandoned, thankfully.
Decathlon are leading the peloton on the climb, and keeping the gap at about two minutes.
Chapeau to the Euskaltel pair of Lastra and Bizkarra, who managed to join the break before the top of the climb.
There's one other rider still trying to chase on to the break by himself - Jorge Gutiérrez of the Equipo Kern Pharma team.
70KM TO GO
Two minutes is the break's lead over the peloton shortly after they crest the climb, with Jorge Gutiérrez in between at 1:17.
Paul Seixas is with his team car in the convoy having a drink on this descent, looking very relaxed.
He's in the convoy having had to have a bike change.
Gutiérrez's mission is over, and he's caught by the peloton.
If you missed the women’s Scheldeprijs and want to know what happened, have a read of our race report here.
Seixas is back in the peloton.
Cofidis have joined Decathlon in setting the pace at the front of the peloton. They are presumably working for Alex Aranburu, who would be one of the favourites if everything is bright back for a sprint finish.
On the Alto de los Heros, King of the Mountains leader Bou added to his advanatage by being first over the climb, ahead of Arrieta and Fortunato.
That means the new virtual KOM rankings look like this:
2 Seixas 13
3 Skjelmose 8
4 Baudin 6
5 Mintegi 6
Seixas still had an issue to sort out, and has changed bikes again. But everything is calm out there.
The breakaway leading the race.
The men's Scheldeprijs is nearing its business end. We're bringing you all the action here.
Still the break's lead comes slowly down. It's now at 1:20, as they make their way down a shallow descent.
The stronger climbers in the breakaway will surely use this climb to try to thin out this group. Look out for Fortunato, Van Wilder, Johannessen and Martin.
Cofidis leading the peloton.
It’s no longer just Cofidis who are pulling at the front of the peloton. Lots of teams are up there, in a bunch all spread out as they ride up the climb.
The break is on the climb, and we have a first attack! Van der Lee has gone clear.
He has a lead of five seconds.
That five second lead doesn't look as big as it is, foreshortened as they hit the steep 9% gradients of the final kilometres of the climb.
No team in the peloton is laying it down on this climb, and so the break's lead is growing, back up to over two minutes.
Tudor Pro Cycling become the first team in the peloton to up the pace on this climb and ride at the front.
Van der Lee has company - he's been joined by Fortunato, Arrieta and Johannessen.
Ayuso has been dropped out of the peloton. He's struggling yet again.
Four or five more riders are coming up to the leading four.
Most of the break has come back together now, as they reach the last kilometre of the climb.
Not among them is Dinham, who was dropped and is being caught by the peloton.
Arrieta leads the break as they near the top, and is dropping a few of his companions.
Arrieta took 6 riders with him over the top of the climb.
A Decathlon teammate leads Seixas over the top of the climb, about 1:30 after the break.
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Laurance and Arrieta have clipped off the front of the lead group, and now lead the race.
That pair lead the race as they climb up the final classified climb of the day, which averages 56% for 2km.
The pace in the peloton is slow enough on this climb for Adrià Pericas and Gal Glivar to escape out of it with an attack.
The peloton reeach the top, but about 2 minutes behind. It's looking less and less likely that they will make the catch.
It's been a hot day out there in the Basque Country.
One thing’s for sure, the peloton has given up the ghost. They’re almost three minutes down now.
So if this does come down to a two-up sprint, who's going to take the win? Laurance certainly has the most pedigree, having won large group sprints before, but the 23-year-old Arrieta is a big talent who could cause a surprise.
The first chase group is drifting further away, now at 50 seconds. It seems unlikely they'll make the catch.
There are nine riders in the chase group: Van Wilder, Fortunato, Braz Afonso, Martin, Johannessen, Van der Lee, Shaw, Tesfatsion and Thompson.
So it appears only two riders can win this stage - Igor Arrieta, and Axel Laurance.
That pair is approaching the uphill now. Will either of them try an attack?
Arrieta led up the climb initially, but now Laurance has taken over. No sign of either making an attack.
Now the chase start the climb, 1:18 later.
The two leaders up the road.
Johannessen is expressing his frustration at the rest of the group for not chasing, gesturing with his arms. He doesn’t look happy.
There's no sign of any GC moves on this climb. In fact, the pace in the peloton is slow enough for Caja Rural's Alex Molenaar to jump clear out of it.
Laurance accelerates over the top!
He opened up a bike length or two, but Arrieta is back with him.
That’s an interesting move by Laurance, seeing as he’d be the favourite in a two-up sprint.
Behind, Lidl is leading the peloton. Is Skjelmose hoping to gain some time on the short uphill to the finish?
Despite Laurance's attack earlier, he and Arrieta are stil working well together.
The chase have brought back the two leaders a bit, and are 35 seconds behind, but that's surely too little too late.
Martin attacks from the chase, and has gone clear with Johannessen and Van Wilder.
Laurance is leading Arrieta.
They're looking at each other, and slowed down - could that bring the chasers back into contention?
Still it's Laurance who leads.
Arrieta makes his move, just over 300m from the line!
Laurance is on his wheel...
Laurance makes his move...
Now here comes the peloton to the finish, will there be any moves?
Paul Seixas leads the peloton and wins the sprint to the line, but there are no time gaps opened up.
In the chase group behind Laurance and Arrieta, Tesfatsion took third, ahead of Van Wilder in fourth and Johannessen in fifth.
This is a big win for Axel Laurance, his fourth of the season, and first at World Tour level. In fact, it's only the second win of his career at this level, following his success at Volta a Catalunya two years ago.
It would have been a second career with for Arrieta, but didn't have the legs in the sprint. He went very early in the sprint - perhaps too early, as Laurance was able to sit on his wheel for a long time before sprinting past him at the line.
All the GC riders appear to have finished in the bunch together, so there is no change to the top 10 - apart from that absence from it of Del Toro, following his abandon.
Laurance's win also continues what has been a prolific start to the season for Ineos Grenadiers. They've now claimed 16 victories - only UAE have more.
Laurance will wear the green points jersey tomorrow, on loan from Seixas, who remains in yellow.
Joan Bou picked up enough KOM points during the day to retain his lead in that classification, although he's only 5 points ahead of Igor Arrieta, who picked up 13 points today.
Meanwhile Markel Beloki will wear the white young riders' jersey tomorrow, also on loan from Seixas.
Paul Seixas leading the peloton over the finish line.
One of the big stories of the day was the abandonment of Isaac Del Toro. Here’s more information on what happened to the Mexican.
Thanks for joining us today, for a stage won by one of the men we might have expected to be up there in a bunch sprint, but via a breakaway instead.
Tomorrow’s parcours might be a little too demanding for Axel Laurance to double-up and take another victory, but like many stages at this race, it’s unpredictable, featuring lots of climbs but not a single stand-out one. It promises to be exciting from start and finish, so be sure to return again for more live coverage!
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