Itzulia Basque Country 2025, April 7th-12th

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Why the hell was one side of that roundabout blocked off in the first place? Riders were always gonna reach that point in small groups or solo. Also the illegal side was anything but properly blocked off on the road. Plenty of room to go through for a rider arriving solo.

Relegation was inevitable as things stand, but I cannot say I'm happy. A completely unnecessary forced deviation in an already very technical and selective finale caused pointless confusion and robbed home rider of possible stage win.
 
Why the hell was one side of that roundabout blocked off in the first place? Riders were always gonna reach that point in small groups or solo. Also the illegal side was anything but properly blocked off on the road. Plenty of room to go through for a rider arriving solo.

Relegation was inevitable as things stand, but I cannot say I'm happy. A completely unnecessary forced deviation in an already very technical and selective finale caused pointless confusion and robbed home rider of possible stage win.
Great point. The natural route through that roundabout was on the right side, and Aranbu may have been familiar with that spot. Too bad
 
I assumed they were in school but let them out to to see the race go by. They were lining the fence on what looked like a schoolyard all wearing the same uniform.
No for sure it looks fun for kids!! They come out and see something fun. Lots of younger kids in France don't have school on Wednesdays.. I don't know about Spain and certainly don't know region by region.
I have also been impressed with massive ground laid pictures of different things, people ect..pretty cool. The race is in very beautiful scenery in my opinion.. And some of these steep short climbs are great features for the race in my opinion..
 
Aranburu is out of the race.

View: https://x.com/ehitzulia/status/1910008087466983814
Great question! In Basque, the phrase "kanporatua izan da" literally means "has been expelled" or "has been eliminated". Its exact meaning can vary a bit depending on context, especially in sports.

In cycling or competitive sports contexts, "kanporatua" usually means:
  • Disqualified
  • Eliminated
  • Barred from continuing in the competition
So in your sentence, "Alex Aranburu kanporatua izan da" almost certainly means he was disqualified or removed from the race, not just relegated to a lower position or sanctioned with a penalty. It suggests he's no longer allowed to compete in that event due to the UCI judges' decision.

If the intent were just a sanction or a relegation (like losing time or being moved down in classification), the Basque would likely be more specific (e.g., "zigortua izan da" for "sanctioned").

So yes, in this context, "kanporatua izan da" does necessarily imply he was barred from the race.
 
Interesting contrast with Stage 1 of Algarve, where first across the line who had ridden the official route was not given the win.

Once again, utter inconsistency, so riders don't know whether it is worth following rules or not.
Inconsistent, yes. But two wrongs don't make a right.

For me the situations aren't that similar because in Algarve the actual route matched the route in the roadbook and riders just missed it, and neutralizing the whole thing was nonsensical.

Now there were guys signaling and Aranburu was clearly endangering them. In which case, I absolutely think the roadbook should be damned.
 
Interesting contrast with Stage 1 of Algarve, where first across the line who had ridden the official route was not given the win.

Once again, utter inconsistency, so riders don't know whether it is worth following rules or not.
I don't really understand why the price of plastic caution tape or temporary use of trucks or bales of hay aren't used to cordon off any road or path that could be confused with pre determined race routes..
Responsibility on riders , using handlebar mounted tiny screen at race speed is silly. Race course needs to be the only way you can go..can't hold riders liable for making wrong turn when there is a Y or T in the road. There is always an advantage to local knowledge but some of these races are getting ridiculous