Roglic, Ayuso, Del Toro, Aranburu, Landa, Pello Bilbao and Izagirre will be at the 2026 Return to the Basque Country

Soudal Quick-Step sports director Kevin Hulsmans has stated that "running at home will give the Alavés cyclist an extra motivation."

The 2026 Return to the Basque Country will begin on Monday in Bilbao. Xabier Usabiaga, in this video, has explained to us how much it weighs and how much it costs the bicycles that will be used by the cyclists who will be in the race.

The Red Bull Kilometer will offer six, four and two seconds each day for the first three riders crossing under its banner; the other special sprint gives three, two and one second and targets ten, six and four.

"The final stage will not be a formality," the organizers of the Vuelta warn, analyzing what the sixth and final day of the competition can bring. Asentzio, Elosua and Azkarate will go up two times, and in total three climbs will be level 2: "If the overall classification is tight," said Itzulia, "there will be continuous markings; there may also be a chance of a final attack from afar."

Cyclists will have to climb seven punctual climbs on the fourth day of the 65th Round; one of the ports, the last of which is Legina, will be left behind when less than ten kilometers to finish, and it is hard considering it has an average slope of 8%.

65. On the third day of the Return to the Basque Country, cyclists must climb three punctual ports, two of the 2nd and one of the 3rd; the organizers believe that on this day "there may be attacks from afar if the overall classification is very tight".

The race will begin on April 6 in Bilbao and will consist of six stages, the last day of which will be played on Saturday, April 11, between Antzuola and Bergara.

Four ports, including the 1st San Miguel de Aralar, will be on the route of the 65th Return to the Basque Country, which will be played in Navarre. "They could be well-organized getaways, and it might also be the case that teams competing in the overall ranking will start to tighten up the race," says the organizers of this second day.

As was also the case in 2021, the first stage of the Vuelta will be a counterclockwork that will begin and end in Bilbao. The race will leave Begoña and will have its destination in the park of Etxebarria; the last part will be the hardest, since the cyclists will have to overcome the 19% slope.