The Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco, the Tour of the Basque Country in English and Euskal Herriko itzulia in Basque, the fifth WorldTour stage race of the season has attracted the top grand tour riders of the peloton in recent years with Joaquim Rodríguez, Alberto Contador and Nairo Quintana the last three victors.
Starting in Etxebarria, the first stage of the race is a lumpy day in the saddle before finishing in Markina-Xemein. A day for the sprinters follows before the challenging stage 3 from Vitoria-Gasteiz to Lesaka. With the wining margin in recent years less than a minute, stages four and five will be key the riders who struggle against the clock. The 16.5km Eibar time trial is likely to decide the winner of the 2016 Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco and bring to an end another tense edition of the Basque race.
Joining the last three winners of the race on the start list are the likes of Mikel Landa (Team Sky), Fabio Aru (Astana), Dan Martin (Etixx-Quick Step), Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) and Yates brothers from Orica-GreenEdge in a packed GC field.
Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco 2015 | Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco 2014 | Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco 2013 | Race History
