Published on : 03/12/2026
Our Basque leader puts in another strong day on the Paris-Nice roads, sprinting for the stage podium. He finishes 5th and moves up to 7th place in the general classification.
At 205.4 kilometres, this fifth stage featured a rolling course with nearly 2,800 metres of elevation gain. After an animated start with several breakaway attempts, the peloton kept things under control for a long time before the race split in the final part of the stage.
The decisive moves came on the Côte de Sécheras, 35 kilometres from the finish. The group of favourites was reduced, with Ion staying in contention. With 20 kilometres to go, Jonas Vingegaard launched an attack to go clear alone. Briefly distanced, Ion fought his way back in the closing kilometres to the chasing group. He contested the sprint for the podium and crossed the line in 5th place.
Reaction from Ion Izagirre :
“I felt pretty good from start to finish. The team protected me well from the beginning. On the steep climb, the favourites set a strong pace. At one point I lost a bit of ground, but luckily Marc Soler helped me a lot. On the final climb, we managed to get back to the front group. We fought for third place and I finished fifth. Yesterday was a very tough day for everyone, but today the legs felt better and we are now 7th overall.”
Reaction from sports director Bingen Fernandez :
“It was the longest stage of this Paris-Nice, with a rolling course, twisty roads and four climbs in the final part. The peloton never gave much space to the breakaway and the race remained under control before everything played out on the final climbs. The team did the job to protect Ion from the start through the key moments of the stage. In the finale, he was able to stay with the favourites. He finished 5th and moved from 10th up to 7th overall. It’s a positive day for us.”