Live cycling | Coverage of stage 5 of the Itzulia Basque Country
Cycling
Welcome to the live coverage of stage 5 of the Itzulia Basque Country! In this thread, you can follow the real-time classification as the action unfolds. IDL Pro Cycling will be there live with the live feed from First Cycling.
Course stage 5 Tour of the Basque Country 2025
It’s a classic Basque Country profile, constantly up and down. The first 80 kilometers are relatively tame, but halfway through the stage, things ramp up with the Aretxabalgane climb (4.6 km at 5.4%) and Errigoti (4.8 km at 4%). Don’t ask us why, but those are already the last categorized climbs of the day.
However, with 50 kilometers to go, riders still face Akorda: 2.3 kilometers at a punchy 8.6%. After a short descent, the road continues uphill for another 15 kilometers before dropping down into Forua. There, the final real test awaits: 4.9 kilometers at 6.4%, with the summit just 14 kilometers from the finish.
Most of the finale trends downhill, aside from a small uphill kick about five kilometers from the finish. That little Basque ramp pitches into double-digit gradients before the road descends again to the line.
Continue reading below the photo
Climbs
18.3 km: Las Campas (1.4 km at 8.2%)
60.0 km: Sarasola (2.9 km at 3.5%)
90.7 km: Aretxabalgane (4.6 km at 5.4%)
104.5 km: Errigoti (4.8 km at 4%)
Times
Start: 1:11 PM (local time) | 7:11 AM (EDT)
Finish: approx. 5:30 PM (local time) | 11:30 AM (EDT)
Weather stage 5 Tour of the Basque Country 2025
22°C, dry, with a light breeze from the southeast. Weather conditions on Friday are not expected to significantly impact the race.
Favorites stage 5 Tour of the Basque Country 2025
One thing is clear: João Almeida is on fire. The Portuguese rider from UAE Team Emirates - XRG was the strongest on the climbs Thursday and once again showed he's in peak form. Now wearing the leader’s jersey, he’ll look to extend his advantage even further on Friday. His teammate Isaac Del Toro is another strong contender for stage 5, especially with his fast finishing kick.
Other general classification riders close to Almeida will be hoping to claw back time. Maximilian Schachmann (second overall) will aim to reclaim the leader’s jersey, while Florian Lipowitz (third), Ilan Van Wilder (fourth), Mattias Skjelmose (fifth), and Wilco Kelderman (sixth) will all be looking to make a move. Enric Mas, too, will want to recover some of the time he lost. The big question: will the terrain be tough enough on Friday to suit the pure climbers?
Read more below the photo!
On Thursday, among the general classification contenders, we saw the exceptionally strong Alex Aranburu and Clément Champoussin holding their own on the climbs with the very best. So both men will certainly have their sights set on a stage like Friday's, which is slightly less tricky than the day before.
Anyone else to watch? Romain Grégoire, for one, who climbs well and should be perfectly suited to a stage like Friday’s. The same goes for Marc Hirschi, Julian Alaphilippe, Ben Healy, Maxim Van Gils, Simone Velasco and Thibau Nys. The latter recently proved he’s started his 2025 season in great form by winning the GP Miguel Indurain just last week.
Favorites stage 5 Tour of the Basque Country 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com
Top favorites: Alex Aranburu (Cofidis) and João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates - XRG)
Outsiders: Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) and Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step)
Long shots: Clément Champoussin, Simone Velasco (both XDS-Astana), Marc Hirschi, Julian Alaphilippe (both Tudor), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek), Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Wilco Kelderman (Visma | Lease a Bike)
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Latest Comments
- Such negative comments that are truly inappropriate and actually ridiculous. He sounds like an old man, bitter that he can't race anymore. Why can't he just be gracious? Or just shut up. Instead of howling for attention, in such a rude manner. Must be Dementia creeping in. We are all living in the Now. Records are there, and some are being broken, some are unapproachable. If he doesn't like it, and it makes him sick, maybe he ought start watching some other sport. Don't want the old mans health to be upset.
reemmo031-03-2025 - Roger De Vlaeminck inspires me to create a new beer: "Bitter Old Twat Belgian".JackInhof31-03-2025
- Shoot, I'll ride it for 1/10 of what his pay for that day is😅Veganpotter30-03-2025
- What is this? The Lance Armstrong daily cheaters channel? I could care less about Johan and Lance the seven times cheater. Greg Lemond was right all along, Why don't you write about that instead of these two knuckleheads.velodrone28-03-2025
- Are we all doomed to hear from Lance Armstrong and Johan bruneel until the end of time? It's not enough the stain they left on cycling? Do we have to see that shadow forever?bigyakman26-03-2025
- I am not sure if it is the hardest to win. In Flanders and Roubaix well before the finish the Peleton will be decimated and the race will normally be won by the best rider of the day or maybe 2nd or 3rd in case of a mechanical or unlucky break especially in case of Roubaix. In San Remo just before the finish there will still be several riders in contention and they are hard to ditch. For the best riders it is a race hard to win since it is not so selective. But if you are not a top 5 rider but still a top 10 rider this race is your best change to win. You will see more Milan San remo Winners with only 1 monument win than any other monumentsJoostmehrtens19-03-2025
- "fap fap fap oh Lance oh oh OHHHHHHH" again. Does he pay you to dredge up people with nice things to say about him? He was an giant a$$hole to people. It is a fact. Whatever his contrition about the doping, he is unapologetic about being a giant a$$hole to people. (Why yes, I do only login to complain. *I* am however only a giant a$$hole to people who laud giant a$$holes.)ericjensenridesbikes25-02-2025
- Remco is still very young. And injuries can absolutely keep you from overdoing it and getting worse. The recent Remco accident didn't keep him from being able to ride a recumbent inside. Wout's knee is a different story thoughVeganpotter23-01-2025
- Van der Poel style is winning by a half a lap and leading the race from the end of the second lap.
Barnes127420-01-2025 - If she thinks talent alone will put her there she will not see many podium finishes much less a GC finish.....work as a team utilizing tactics to consistently be at the top.Germanrazor10-01-2025