Preview Tour of the Basque Country 2025 | Familiar recipe promises chaos on tough Basque climbs

While half of the peloton is battling over the cobbles of the spring classics, the other half is preparing for the Ardennes and the Giro d’Italia. That preparation kicks off Monday at the Tour of the Basque Country. In Spain’s cycling-mad province, we’re in for a real spectacle: the stages are packed with the trademark short, steep climbs. IDLProCycling.com walks you through must-knows in this preview!

Last year, the Tour of the Basque Country was overshadowed by a horrific crash in stage four. Among those involved were GC leader Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel, both of whom had to abandon. But Jonas Vingegaard was in the worst shape: the Dane from Visma | Lease a Bike broke his collarbone, multiple ribs, and sustained a lung contusion and a collapsed lung. The incident completely derailed the Tour winner’s season, and Juan Ayuso’s eventual overall victory was no longer the main talking point of the race.

This year, hopes are high for a smoother edition — though Vingegaard, Evenepoel, and Roglic will all be absent. Still, there’s plenty of firepower at the start in Vitoria-Gasteiz, with riders like João Almeida, Pello Bilbao, Marc Soler, Florian Lipowitz, Thibau Nys, Sepp Kuss, and Marc Hirschi ready to go. The race opens with a time trial and then heads straight into a week of relentless hills: a recipe for thrilling racing!

Latest winners Tour of the Basque Country

2024 Juan Ayuso
2023 Jonas Vingegaard
2022 Daniel Felipe Martínez
2021 Primoz Roglic
2020 not ridden due to covid-19
2019 Ion Izagirre
2018 Primoz Roglic
2017 Alejandro Valverde
2016 Alberto Contador 
2015 Joaquim Rodríguez

Course, favorites daily wins and times Tour of the Basque Country 2025

Stage 1, Monday, April 7: Vitoria-Gasteiz - Baskonia-Alavés (time trial, 16.5 km)

A time trial to open the race — it's something the Basque Country seems to enjoy. It’s not a given every year, but a race against the clock is a near-annual tradition here, usually to start things off. Unlike previous editions, this one is nearly flat, with hardly any technical turns. Expect a power-heavy effort across the plains of northern Spain. Who will wear the first leader’s jersey?

Favorites
Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates - XRG)
Victor Campenaerts (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek)

Times
Start: 2:15 PM local time (8:15 AM EDT)
Finish: 5:40 PM local time (9:40 AM EDT)

Stage 2, Tuesday, April 8: Pamplona-Iruña - Lodosa (196.3 km)

On paper, Tuesday offers the least difficult stage of the week. Still, it can’t be called a true sprinters’ stage — especially since most of the fast men logically skip this hilly race. After a rolling start, the middle portion is flat, but the final 80 kilometers are a constant up-and-down rollercoaster. Nothing too long or steep, but enough to wear the peloton down. A sprint is possible, but don’t underestimate the breakaway.

Favorites
Axel Laurance (INEOS Grenadiers)
Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek)
Axel Zingle (Visma | Lease a Bike)

Times
Start: 12:49 PM local time (6:49 AM EDT)
Finish: approx. 5:30 PM local time (11:30 AM EDT)

Stage 3, Wednesday, April 9: Zarautz - Beasain (156.6 km)

After a relatively tame start, things get serious on Wednesday. It’s not a long stage, but it packs over 3,000 meters of climbing. Riders face the classic tricky Basque terrain, with the Gainza and Lazkaomendi climbs in the finale — two short but brutally steep walls, featuring pitches over 20%. The final climb tops out just 6 km from the finish, making it likely that we’ll see the first significant time gaps (besides the time trial).

Favorites
Marc Hirschi (Tudor)
Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek)

Times
Start: 1:35 PM local time (7:35 AM EDT)
Finish: approx. 5:30 PM local time (11:30 AM EDT)

Stage 4, Thursday, April 10: Beasain - Markina-Xemein (169.6 km)

The race moves northwest, and once again, it’s all about climbing. On paper, this stage is slightly less severe than Wednesday’s, but the sting is in the tail. After a hilly opening that gives breakaways a chance, the real action is expected from about 11 kilometers from the finish. The climb to Izua is just 3.5 km but averages 9.6%, with maximum gradients exceeding 20%. In short, this one is going to be fun!

Favorites
Enric Mas (Movistar)
João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates - XRG)
Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)

Times
Start: 1:15 PM local time (7:15 AM EDT)
Finish: approx. 5:30 PM local time (11:30 AM EDT)

Stage 5, Friday, April 11: Urduña - Gernika-Lumo (172.3 km)

After Thursday’s brutal test, Friday won’t bring much relief. The stage to Gernika-Lumo features fewer total elevation gains, but there are still plenty of climbs to create gaps. Once again, the decisive point lies close to the finish: the Zalobante climb is 4.9 kilometers at 6.4%, and while not intimidating on paper, its irregular start is quite tough. If the GC remains tight, this could be another exciting day.

Favorites
Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious)

Times
Start: 1:11 PM local time (7:11 AM EDT)
Finish: approx. 5:30 PM local time (11:39 AM EDT)

Stage 6, Saturday, April 12: Eibar - Eibar (153.4 km)

The final stage to and from Eibar has become a staple in the Tour of the Basque Country — and for good reason. The course is spectacular and, on paper, the toughest of the week. Just 153 km, but with a whopping 3,700 meters of elevation gain. Old-school climbing around the Basque city. Although the bulk of the climbing is early in the stage, that doesn’t mean the rest is easy. Last year, the GC was decided here — will it happen again this year?

Favorites
Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek)
Enric Mas (Movistar)
Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious)

Times
Start: 1:39 PM local time (7:39 AM EDT)
Finish: approx. 5:30 PM local time (11:30 AM EDT)

Favorites final classification Tour of the Basque Country 2025

Last year’s first and second place finishers are not racing, but the third-place finisher is: Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), who led the race until the final stage but lost the jersey then. He’ll surely want redemption, especially after his unfortunate finish in Paris-Nice. In the absence of Juan Ayuso, UAE Team Emirates - XRG will look to João Almeida, while Isaac Del Toro and Brandon McNulty are also solid contenders.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe has a stacked lineup: Florian Lipowitz, Daniel Felipe Martínez, Aleksandr Vlasov, and Maxim Van Gils. Bahrain Victorious also brings multiple GC threats: Santiago Buitrago and hometown hero Pello Bilbao. From Movistar, Spaniard Enric Mas is an obvious name to watch.

Read more below the photo!

Former winner Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) is back but no longer at his peak. EF Education-EasyPost will rely on Ben Healy, a strong climber on short, steep ascents. The same goes for Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step) and Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL). XDS Astana brings Clément Champoussin and Harold Tejada, their main points scorers from Paris-Nice. Keep an eye on Marco Brenner, the German champion riding for Tudor, who’s had a great spring so far.

What about Visma | Lease a Bike? On paper, Sepp Kuss and Wilco Kelderman are their top GC riders, but they also have Ben Tulett, who is in red-hot form after winning the Settimana Coppi e Bartali.

Favorites according to IDLProCycling.com

Top favorites: João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek)
Outsiders: Enric Mas (Movistar), Florian Lipowitz, Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Pello Bilbao, Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG)
Longshots: Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Harald Tejada, Clement Champoussin (XDS Astana), Sepp Kuss, Wilco Kelderman, Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike), Ion Izagirre, (Cofidis), Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step), Marco Brenner (Tudor), Ben Healy (EF education - EasyPost)

TV coverage Tour of the Basque Country 2025

The Tour of the Basque Country will of course be broadcast on Eurosport. You can follow the race live every day on Eurosport 1 from 15:00 CET. The only exception is the final stage: due to the women’s Paris–Roubaix taking priority, Saturday’s coverage will be on Eurosport 2 at 15:30 CET. The race can also be streamed daily on HBO Max.

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