Itzulia Basque Country - An ITT to kick things off

Building on Saturday’s momentum and Ion Izagirre’s victory at the GP Indurain, the Team Cofidis riders tackled the Tour of the Basque Country on Monday, April 6, 2026. A difficult and hilly 13.8-km time trial in Bilbao awaited our riders. Now it’s time for the road stages through Saturday, where the team, led by our two Basque riders, Ion Izagirre and Alex Aranburu, will be eager to shine. 

Gorka Gerrikagoitia, sports director: "It was a time trial with a tough start—two kilometers uphill—followed by a long stretch with a tailwind and a finish with a headwind and a final 400-meter sprint. We went in with the plan to go all out in the time trial with Ion Izagirre, Alex Aranburu, and Emanuel Buchmann. I think we had a decent time trial. We’re paying for a slight lack of freshness after Saturday’s race, but I think we’re not far off the top riders. Seixas had an extraordinary time trial. We’re not super happy with the results, but still, we’re here, and we’re trying to do our best. Looking ahead, we’re super motivated. Today’s time gaps aren’t definitive for the upcoming stages because this race is so tough that 30 seconds or a minute isn’t much. Tomorrow, we have another complicated stage with a finish where there will be time gaps. "