He’s really back! Ewan dominates in the Basque Country to claim his second victory of the year, Van Boven second, and Tronchon third

On Tuesday, Caleb Ewan won the Tour of the Basque Country's second stage. After a slightly modified stage from Pamplona Iruña to Lodosa, the Australian from INEOS Grenadiers was ultimately the fastest in the sprint. Luca Van Boven and Bastien Tronchon finished second and third, respectively.

The day in sunny Spain began with the announcement that the organization had removed a climb just before the start. Through the official channels, it was announced that 'for safety reasons' La Oliva had been replaced by the ascent of San Martin de Unx. Via Pitillas and Santacara, they would rejoin the original route.

Five men managed to break away from the peloton in the opening phase. Diego Uriarte, Tobias Bayer, Xabier Isasa, Sinuhé Fernández, and Julen Arriola-Begoa rode with a maximum lead of three minutes. INEOS Grenadiers showed themselves at the front of the pack, obviously to keep the lead at Caleb Ewan's service.

Peloton keeps control, no one can prevent sprint

After that exhilarating opening phase, things settled down to a status quo where you could have easily planned a three-hour afternoon nap. With 20 kilometers to go, the five early breakaway riders still had a 50-second lead. Everyone knew how this would end. Visma | Lease a Bike also contributed to the chase, with Soudal-Quick Step for Schachmann in the mix.

Yet the four leaders - Arriola-Begoa had given up by now - put up a good fight. There was no sign of total panic in the peloton despite the four brave men still having a lead of just over twenty seconds with five kilometers to go. Their chances were reduced when Isasa broke away solo. At that moment, we saw a crash in the frenzied peloton, which left Victor Campenaerts on the side of the road. Due to the lack of cooperation, Isasa was caught as the last breakaway rider, just two kilometers from the finish line.

And so it became a 'normal' sprint in Lodos. The trains of the various teams came up to full speed on the large, open road. INEOS was well positioned throughout the final and thus perfectly positioned Ewan. The Pocket Rocket finished it with a powerful sprint, his second victory of the season. Van Boven finished second, and Tronchon third

Results stage 2 Tour of the Basque Country 2025

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Course and results Tour of the Basque Country 2025 | After the time trial, a relatively easy second stage by Basque standards

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