Published on : 04/09/2022
Ion Izagirre won for the first time in the Cofidis colours after a remarkable stage in which he never gave up. The Spaniard, who finished 2nd overall, 11 seconds behind the winner, Daniel Felipe Martinez, thus offering Cofidis its 8th victory of the season and its first on the UCI World Tour in 2022.
He had time to raise his right arm and clench his fist, a sign of great enthusiasm and resistance. Ion Izagirre crossed the line first on Saturday afternoon in Arrate. The stage of the day, 137,5 km long from Eibar, was epic until the end with seven passes to climb in the Basque mountains.
A breathtaking finale
The hostilities started with around 40 km to go. The thrilling final was full of attacks and Ion Izagirre was one of the most active riders at the front. On the last climb, there were only a few strong riders left at the front, with the overall winner Daniel Felipe Martinez, Jonas Vingegaard, Marc Soler and Alexandr Vlasov. Next to them, Ion Izagirre. The Basque rider held on despite a crash with 4 km to go. He immediately got back on his bike and made a great effort to catch the frontrunners. In a breathtaking final, he managed to get the better of Alexandr Vlasov and Marc Soler.
Ion has always considered the Tour of the Basque Country, the region where he grew up, as an important goal. He won it in 2019 and he also won a stage last year. The Spaniard repeated the feat under his new colours, which allows him to take 2nd place in the overall classification, only 11 seconds behind leader Daniel Felipe Martinez. More than ever, Cofidis continues to demonstrate its ability to shine on all terrains. We can't wait to see what happens next!
ION IZAGIRRE'S VICTORY IN FIGURES
1st victory in the Cofidis colours
2nd in the final general classification
2nd stage victory for Ion at the Tour of the Basque Country
8th victory for the Cofidis team in 2022
6th Cofidis rider to win this year
10th top 10 for Ion at the Tour of the Basque Country
11 seconds between him and the winner in the general classification
16th personal victory
THEY SAID
Ion Izagirre (1st stage, 2nd overall): "I am so happy. It's hard to put into words what I feel... To win the last stage in Arrate is a dream for all Basques. I think there is no better place to win! After my crash, it was difficult to come back but I kept on fighting and giving everything until the finish line. On top of that, I finished 2nd in the overall classification, which is a great way to end this great week we had with the whole team! "
Bingen Fernandez, Sports Director: "I am really happy. We knew that Ion could come back to the front of the race. Of course, we had a scare when he fell and the adrenaline was pumping for him and for us. His reaction was really perfect. Afterwards, he controlled his race very well to win. The team worked very well and was very motivated throughout the week. This week, Victor was caught in the last kilometre and Ion today. To win and finish 2nd overall is a great performance. We are in a good momentum and we will do everything to keep it going in the next weeks."