Itzulia Basque Country 2021, Spain, April 5 - April 10

[Lequack]

After Catalunya we onto the Basque Country! Starts off with a 13km very hilly ITT, and the rest of stages are no different. As is usual the climbs here are usually shorter, but very steep 10-15% or even more.

Notable GC mentions: Roglic, Pogacar, Adam Yates, Valverde, Schachmann, Esteban Chaves, Carapaz, Fuglsang, Landa, Geoghegan Hart, Keldermann, Woods, Uran
Notable sprinters: Magnus Cort

https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/itzulia-basque-country/2021/gc/overview
https://www.itzulia.eus/

Live video stream available on Eurosport/GCN.

Full startlist: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/itzulia-basque-country/2021/gc/startlist/startlist

 

[Lequack]

Stage 1 (ITT)»Bilbao›Bilbao(13.89k)

Stage 2»Zalla›Sestao(154.8k)

Stage 3»Amurrio›Ermualde (Laudio)(167.7k)

Stage 4»Vitoria-Gasteiz›Hondarribia(189.2k)

Stage 5»Hondarribia›Ondarroa(160.2k)

Stage 6 (Final)»Ondarroa›Arrate (Eibar)(111.9k)

 

[wheresmybrakes]

Be interesting to see if anyone can take off from the ramp at the end of the ITT.

 

[Escarabajo]

Good one.

Plenty of muritos!

 

[pink_jersey]

1. Pogacar
2. Roglic
3. Adam Yates

 

[Lequack]

Also both Chris Harper and Vingegaard will be riding for Jumbo, will be tough to tell them apart.

 

[BlueRoads]

Pogacar, Roglic and Yates on this route should actually be really interesting.

 

[johnymax]

Weather: lots of rain...advantage Pogacar

 

[Red Rick]

Pogacar by over a minute.

 

[Lequack]

Also, first stage race without the supertuck or puppy paws positions.

 

[Red Rick]

Also, first stage race without the supertuck or puppy paws positions.

Wait that got banninated too?

 

[Lequack]

Wait that got banninated too?

Indeed.

 

[Red Rick]

Indeed.

Somebody please make sock account named "The UCI" so I can ban it

But really don't.

 

[Lequack]

Somebody please make sock account named "The UCI" so I can ban it

But really don't.

Horner talking about the supertuck ban (and origins). He says it originates from the US.
PS: Scroll to 10:23 for the supertuck part.

View: https://youtu.be/50Bj9iBXWO8?t=623

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Cort could win stage 5, but not many teams will try to keep it together for a sprint.
It will be interesting to see whether Roglic is back at full strength and/or if one of the Harpers will go ballistic.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Pogacar vs Roglic vs Yates. Doesn't get much better than that. We just needed Remco here to complete the battle between the big 4.

 

[Pinot's goat]

Pogacar vs Roglic vs A.Yates.

The king of the one week stage races shall be crowned and his name is Mikel Landa.

 

[RedheadDane]

Could Bilbao get a good result in the ITT?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Could Bilbao get a good result in the ITT?

Without big crowds I'm not sure the city will be able to profit that much from it. But fingers crossed

 

[Blanco]

Pogacar by over a minute.

I don't think so... I think he won't win this one.

 

[Koronin]

Interesting profile for an ITT.

If Valverde's form holds he could end up with another top 5 in GC.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Some monster stuff here.

(Krabelin is just the side of Arrate they climbed in the ITT a few years ago, they then descend the side they will climb later, before turning right to Ixua. It's very similar to the stage a couple of years ago when they climbed the hormigón road, then descended but only gave the points at Ixua, only this time rather than climbing parallel to the road later taken for the finish, they're legimitately climbing through the finish backwards).

 

[jonan92]

Current weather prediction is for cold and rain for all week, with snow at around 500-600m, it is still far away so it will change but it would make it much harder

 

[CyclistAbi]

Thermonuclear.

P.S. TJV roster not the strongest one, most likely Ineos or less likely UAE could try to control the race. Still i feel this might end up being a more open race. Roglič, Pogačar and Yates being there, some power play exhibitions and mano a mano fighting almost guaranteed. This should be a nice race to watch and i am looking forward to that.

 

[ice&fire]

I'm all in for rain and rainjacket tactics