An open field vies for glory in the sharp hills of the Basque Country – Analysing the contenders at Itzulia Women

The top-level Spanish block of racing continues this week at Itzulia Women, the fifth edition of the hilly Basque stage race, which runs from May 15-17.

The race starts in Zarautz and concludes in Donostia 390km later. Along the way, the Itzulia Women route poses challenges, including 6,800 metres of elevation and 14 major climbs spread across its three stages.

Itzulia Women follows on from La Vuelta Femenina, the first Grand Tour of the season, which saw home favourite Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) soar to a famous victory atop the Alto de L'Angliru.

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The Catalan racer won't be racing Itzulia Women this week, but there's a host of other major names heading to the Basque Country in her stead.

Here's a look at 10 of the top contenders for success in the Itzulia hills this week.

Juliette Berthet (FDJ United-SUEZ)

Three-time Itzulia winner Demi Vollering won't be back to contend for a fourth title for FDJ United-SUEZ this year, but the French squad have put together a strong lineup in her absence.

Juliette Berthet is at the head of affairs, fresh off a fifth-place finish at La Vuelta Femenina. She got better as the race went on last week, though perhaps that's unsurprising given the backloaded route.

A third place on the Angliru was the highlight, with Berthet finishing best of the rest behind the flyweight climber Petra Stiasny and GC winner Blasi. She's done well here in the past, too, having picked up a fifth place in 2022 and a third place in 2024.

Fellow Frenchwomen Marie Le Net and Évita Muzic head up her support squad, with Muzic having finished 10th at La Vuelta.

Valentina Cavallar and Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime)

Austrian racer Valentina Cavallar is a new face at SD Worx-Protime this year, along with Nienke Vinke, and the pair form part of the Dutch team's next generation of riders.

Only Cavallar will line up in Zarautz, however, heading up the SD Worx selection shortly after her career-best Grand Tour outing with 12th place at La Vuelta. There, a sixth place on the Angliru was her top result, having raced into better form as the week progressed.

Cavallar will be joined in the team by fellow 25-year-old Mischa Bredewold. The Dutch rider is one for the hills, a former Amstel Gold Race champion who won stage 4 at La Vuelta.

Bredewold has form here, too, having finished second at each of the past two editions. Both she and Cavallar are ones to watch, while Blanka Vas is also on the start list.

Liane Lippert (Movistar)

Movistar are headed by Liane Lippert once again at Itzulia, with the German rider tackling the race as she searches for her first win since February's Vuelta CV Femina.

She put together a string of solid results at La Vuelta recently, with a trio of top 10s – including a fourth place – in the hilly mid-section of the Grand Tour.

Itzulia, full of hills, may be better suited to her strengths than the high mountains that capped off that race, however. Her biggest wins – stages at the Tour de France Femmes and the Giro d'Italia Women – have all come on parcours similar to the stages on the menu here.

Petra Stiasny (Human Powered Health)

Swiss rider Petra Stiasny heads to Itzulia fresh off the biggest win of her career, that famous triumph atop the Angliru as the women's peloton tackled the toughest climb in professional cycling for the first time.

The triumph is only the second of her career, but it signals a major breakthrough and figures to be a major confidence booster going forward, to boot.

Stiasny didn't post too many standout results earlier this season, but she's clearly in a fine vein of form at the moment. While there may not be a climb as tough as the Angliru at Itzulia, there are some short, sharp tests here.

Her teammate Thalita De Jong, fifth here a year ago and seventh in 2024, is another to watch. The Dutch rider was in the top 10 at the Setmana Valenciana and Tour of Flanders earlier this spring.

Usoa Ostolaza (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi)

Home favourite Usoa Ostolaza is another rider heading to Itzulia in form and full of confidence following her display at La Vuelta Femenina, where she finished fourth overall.

The 28-year-old Basque racer is leading the Basque squad Laboral Kutxa this week and carries the home region's hopes of a result.

Her Vuelta showing was forged in a strong closing weekend, with 11th place at Les Praeres and eighth on the Angliru, and she'll aim to continue her form on climbs such as the Jaizkibel and Aretxabalgane this week.

Ostolaza has already won on home roads this year, soloing to success at the GP Eibar last month. A win here, which would be a career-first in the Women's WorldTour, would be a breakthrough.

Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)

Antonia Niedermaier leads Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto at Itzulia, returning to the race where she finished eighth and won the young rider's jersey last spring.

Since then, the German has won the same jersey at the Giro d'Italia as she raced to fifth overall, finished sixth at the Rwanda Worlds, and took fourth place at her opening race this season, the Setmana Valenciana.

That's her top result of 2026 so far, and she didn't take part in the recent La Vuelta Femenina. The 23-year-old should be aiming for a similar outcome in Itzulia, and perhaps even a first pro win – German TT title aside – since her Giro stage triumph in the hills of Piedmont in 2023.

Dominika Wļodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ)

Polish racer Dominika Wļodarczyk finished fourth at last year's Tour de France Femmes and started her 2026 season with a string of promising results, but her progress has been derailed by a virus she suffered last month.

Fourth place at the Tour Down Under was followed by fifth at the Great Ocean Road Race, a podium at the Trofeo Oro in Euro, and fifth at Milan-San Remo. However, she was forced to miss the Ardennes Classics after falling ill.

A DNF at Brabantse Pijl put a frustrating end to her Classics campaign, but she's back in action here following a training camp in Sierra Nevada. The 26-year-old is making her debut in Itzulia, but if she hits the ground running, she'll find a parcours suited to her strengths.

Magdeleine Vallieres-Mill (EF Education-Oatly)

World champion Magdeleine Vallieres Mill returns to action following the conclusion of her Spring Classics campaign in the Ardennes.

The Canadian is still waiting for her first win in the rainbow jersey, but she can look back on some good results this spring, including sixth at the Setmana Valenciana, fifth at Strade Bianche, sixth at La Flèche Wallonne, and eighth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

She skipped La Vuelta but now heads to Spain to kick off a stage racing block including both the Giro and Tour. As a specialist in the hills, there's plenty for her to go at over the three days of Itzulia.

Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal)

Belgian champion Justine Ghekiere raced to her best Women's WorldTour stage race result here last year, taking fourth place in Donostia, just two seconds off the podium.

The 30-year-old's sights may not be as high this time around, with the race marking her return to the peloton following a crash at Milan-San Remo almost two months ago. If she hits the ground running, then she'll certainly be on the list of riders to watch in the Basque Country.

Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio joins her in the AG Insurance-Soudal lineup. The South African veteran has only raced here once before, finishing 17th back in 2022.

She likes the hills and the mountains, and she still has the ability to grab a result here and there – see her fourth place at De Brabantse Pijl earlier this spring, for example. The tenacious Letizia Borghesi is also racing.

Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek)

Shirin van Anrooij has raced a relatively quiet spring campaign to open 2026, with ninth place at Strade Bianche her top result so far.

Itzulia will be her first stage race of the year, with the Dutch racer returning for a fourth start in the Basque Country. Her previous best came two years ago with 13th overall, but she's capable of more.

Van Anrooij can excel in attritional races, and there are plenty of hills packing the days here, so watch out for her and teammate Riejanne Markus, a former podium finisher at La Vuelta whose top result so far this year is eighth at Amstel Gold Race.

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