Itzulia

The descent from Aralar to Lekunberri in the Navarre stage could be decisive, as cyclists will have to prove their ability to take curves, so Xabier Usabiaga explains how they can do it.

He has stressed that San Miguel is a "30-minute" port and that the last two kilometers are the hardest. He has also stressed that the end of the Medukillo stage is "very hard." He has said that "people will go to the finish line in pairs or individually."

The Basque cyclist from the Soudal Quick-Step has won the eighteenth place in the stage, losing 55 seconds to the winner Paul Seixas. 

The French cyclist of the Groupama team has fallen and has crossed the finish line with difficulty. The French Paul Seixas (Decathlon) has won the stage with an exhibition on the clock.      

The young cyclist of the Decathlon team thus becomes the first leader of the 2026 Return to the Basque Country. Pello Bilbao and Mikel Landa have been the best Basque cyclists, losing 53 and 55 seconds respectively.

See the performance of the first stage of the 2026 Tour starting and ending in Bilbao. From 14:30, with the departure of the first cyclist, and in the session that will last until 18:30, you will know all the details of the start of the race.

The 2026 Return to the Basque Country is about to begin and the teams have been presented. 22 teams will take part in the race, which will run over 810 kilometres and will be attended by Mikel Landa, Ion Izagirre, Alex Aramburu and Pello Bilbao, among others.

The first stage of the 2026 Return to the Basque Country is a 13.9 km counterclockwork that will begin and end in Bilbao. Xabier Usabiaga has explained to us what the aerodynamic coefficient is, with which the cyclists intend to impose as little obstacle as possible on the air, given its size and its position on the bike. 

Del Toro, Ayuso, Lipowitz, Roglic, Mikel Landa and Ion Izagirre, among others, will have to overcome 809 kilometres of travel, 29 punctual ports and 16,000 metres of unlevel.

The clock of Bilbao, the descent from Aralar to Lekunberri, the days of Basauri and Galdakao, the very hard stage of the Eibar (they will have to climb the Krabeli), and the last day, that of Bergara; Xabier Usabiaga will tell us a series of issues that can be very important in each day of the test. 

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 race, which will be held from 6 to 11 April, has been officially presented on Thursday and will consist of six stages, with a total of 29 qualifying ports to be promoted by cyclists.

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.