Itzulia Basque Country 2024, April 1-6

[Netserk]

Euskal Herriko Itzulia – Vuelta al País Vasco 2024​

1. ETAPA: IRUN – IRUN​

2. ETAPA: IRUN – KANBO​

Last 3 km

3. ETAPA: EZPELETA – ALTSASU​

Lizarrusti (18.4 km to go)
Last 3 km

4. ETAPA: ETXARRI ARANATZ – LEGUTIO​

Olaeta (40.4 km to go)
Untzilla (26.2 km to go)
Leintz Gatzaga (9.3 km to go)
Last 3 km

5. ETAPA: VITORIA-GASTEIZ – AMOREBIETA-ETXANO​

Urkiola (88.1 km to go)
Muniketagaina (38.0 & 12.2 km to go)
Last 3 km

6. ETAPA: EIBAR – EIBAR​

Elkorrieta (124.3 km to go)
Azurki (112.9 km to go)
Gorla (92.8 km to go)
Krabelin (67.6 km to go)
Trabakua (45.2 km to go)
Izua (26.8 km to go)
Urkaregi (12.5 km to go)
Last 3 km

Official website
Start list
Roadbook

All stages are expected to finish 17:30.

The 3 km rule is in effect for stages 2-6. No stages are designated as expected to finish in a bunch sprint, so the 3 seconds rule won't be in effect.

Bonus seconds are awarded 10-6-4 at the finish, and 3-2-1 for each intermediate sprint

ARTICLE 9. STARTING ORDER FOR THE INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL (1/04/2024)

As the starting order for the individual time trial, the organisers set the reverse order of the team classification in the 2023 Itzulia. The first to present themselves will be those who have not classified in 2023. The team of the winner of the Itzulia 2023 will be the last to present it:

Starting Order:
1 Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM,
2 BURGOS-BH,
3 CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA,
4 ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK,
5 EQUIPO KERN PHARMA,
6 DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM,
7 EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI,
8 INEOS GRENADIERS,
9 TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL,
10 TOTALENERGIES,
11 ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM,
12 INTERMARCHÉ - WANTY,
13 BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS,
14 UAE TEAM EMIRATES,
15 COFIDIS,
16 GROUPAMA-FDJ,
17 LIDL-TREK,
18 TEAM JAYCO ALULA,
19 ARKEA-B&B HOTELS,
20 EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST,
21 BORA - HANSGROHE,
22 MOVISTAR TEAM,
23 TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE,
24 SOUDAL QUICK-STEP

EDIT: Full starting order for the ITT.

NB: It's the last day of the Specialized head-sock!

 

[Lequack]

Thanks for the thread!

 

[QueenStagiaire]

It‘s really important for three of the four Tour favorites to do a stage race with two relevant stages. Should have all gone to Catalunya

 

[Rackham]

You have Vingegaard, Roglic and Evenepoel and the route is, to paraphrase one of the chess players of all time: "So bad, soooo bad. So bad chat. That's so bad."

ITT will be decisive.

If one of the favs (anyone) can get a lead there & then follow Vingegaard in stage 6 on Krabelin, whomever that is will likely win.

 

[Nick2413]

Maybe the lack of challenging stages is why they’re choosing to all race together. No risk of showing too much.

 

[Lequack]

Vingegaard should have this wrapped up after the first mountain finish. He will ride away like in Tirreno.

 

[Rackham]

Vingegaard should have this wrapped up after the first mountain finish. He will ride away like in Tirreno.

There's no mountain finish (or real noteworthy hard stage based on the profile) until the traditional stage 6:

It'll be a tight race IMO.

 

[SafeBet]

ITT will be decisive.

If one of the favs (anyone) can get a lead there & then follow Vingegaard in stage 6 on Krabelin, whomever that is will likely win.

Imagine Vingegaard winning the TT and then having to follow himself on Krabelin.

 

[Rackham]

Imagine Vingegaard winning the TT and then having to follow himself on Krabelin.

He won't. I can see Ayuso, Evenepoel & even Rog (if he's back close to his usual self) doing better in that ITT.

 

[Netserk]

He won't. I can see Ayuso, Evenepoel & even Rog (if he's back close to his usual self) doing better in that ITT.

I think we'll see some wild ***.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I think people are underrating stage 4 a bit, could definitely see gaps between the big guns there.

It's still a *** route, though.

 

[Froome]

Vingegaard should have this wrapped up after the first mountain finish. He will ride away like in Tirreno.

This is a route of muritos, very different from Tirreno. Not hard enough for him.

 

[Netserk]

Leintz Gatzaga is the lithmus test for Evenepoel and Roglic vs Vingegaard IMO.

Yep.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

There are multiple corners in the ITT where Vingegaard can "turn it into love".

 

[Netserk]

It‘s really important for three of the four Tour favorites to do a stage race with two relevant stages. Should have all gone to Catalunya

Vingegaard knows he has to win 4 stages too, so you'll get some more GC action than that.

 

[Rackham]

Something I notice here is other than stage 3, all the other stages are all pretty short.

That should help some riders who don't like really long slogs.

 

[Froome]

Vingegaard knows he has to win 4 stages too, so you'll get some more GC action than that.

I don't agree, because Vingegaard will not face a weak field like Pogacar faced in Catalunya.

He will face Roglic and Remco.

When Vingegaard faced "farmers", he also won 3 stages in 3 days.

 

[Netserk]

I think the situation may arise that Roglic and Evenepoel both beat Vingegaard in the ITT and then don't lose time until the final day, they may be perfect allies against a long range Vingegaard attack. And they wouldn't be the schmuck rouleurs that didn't chase Vingegaard in the final stage last year.

I can't state enough how bad this route is for Vingegaard against Roglic and Evenepoel. Even that murito finish of last year would likely be preferred against Evenepoel at least.

I expect him to attack on Krabelin and ride away with one of the two, and then go solo from Izua if he needs to.

 

[Rackham]

As a Rog fan, I'm not sure I even like this route myself.

It's not Leintz Gatzaga for example that bothers me (if he has good legs, it's no problem), it's the fight for position going into these muritos which could be a problem.

 

[johnymax]

Roglič has this in the bag.

 

[DNP-Old]

If Roglic doesn't win this he might as well retire.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

As a Rog fan, I'm not sure I even like this route myself.

It's not Leintz Gatzaga for example that bothers me (if he has good legs, it's no problem), it's the fight for position going into these muritos which could be a problem.

Nah, Itzulia is a great route for Primoz by definition actually. Primoz in top form would probably be able to win this even against Skeletor (by bonus seconds perhaps). I think stage 6 will be absolute carnage. Gaps till this stage will be small and JV will want to absolutely destroy stage 6. Vingo going thermonuclear on Krabelin is on the cards and I don't think anybody will be able to follow.

 

[Rackham]

Roglič has this in the bag.

I agree.

If Roglic doesn't win this he might as well retire.

Dude...

Nah, Itzulia is a great route for Primoz by definition actually. Primoz in top form would probably be able to win this even against Skeletor (by bonus seconds perhaps). I think stage 6 will be absolute carnage. Gaps till this stage will be small and JV will want to absolutely destroy stage 6. Vingo going thermonuclear on Krabelin is on the cards and I don't think anybody will be able to follow.

I think Rog will follow. Maybe I'm an optimist but I think his weaknesses on this sort of route is mostly positioning & weather related. If he has the legs, I don't see Krabelin as a problem. It's not like there's a 17km HC climb followed by another & another over a 200km+ stage.

On such a profile, I'd have to say Vingegaard would massacre everyone. But here? Even on stage 6, I don't see it.

Of course it's all a moot point if Rog shows up with his Paris-Nice stage 8 form, i.e. at which point it's vamos a la playa, grab a couple of cervezas & wait for the social media sh*tstorm to blow over.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I agree.



Dude...



I think Rog will follow. Maybe I'm an optimist but I think his weaknesses on this sort of route is mostly positioning & weather related. If he has the legs, I don't see Krabelin as a problem. It's not like there's a 17km HC climb followed by another & another over a 200km+ stage.

On such a profile, I'd have to say Vingegaard would massacre everyone. But here? Even on stage 6, I don't see it.

Of course it's all a moot point if Rog shows up with his Paris-Nice stage 8 form, i.e. at which point it's vamos a la playa, grab a couple of cervezas & wait for the social media sh*tstorm to blow over.

Primoz would need to be in a very good form, a significant progress is needed, even compared to pre stage 8 PN level. 5 km at almost 10% is Skeletor's territory actually. He's shown some amazing VAM on 10-15 min climbs already. Those climbs aren't that long but they are long enough to be mostly in aerobic zone plus they are repeated one after another.

 

[red_flanders]

Leintz Gatzaga is the lithmus test for Evenepoel and Roglic vs Vingegaard IMO.

A 3k climb? I haven't followed this race terribly closely in the past, can you elaborate? Seems on paper too short to matter that much. I assume differences can be made but seems like it would be 15-20 seconds at best. Curious about your thoughts.