Itzulia Basque Country stage 2 LIVE – Paul Seixas leads the race after attacking on final climb

Seixas leads the five chasers by one minute, as he enters the final 10km.

2026-04-07T15:26:44.310Z

Landa has crashed on the descent, and it looks like a heavy one.

2026-04-07T15:26:19.646Z

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-07T15:23:56.920Z

Juan Ayuso is much further behind, in a group two minutes behind the leader.

2026-04-07T15:22:48.077Z

The five riders behind aren’t working well together.

2026-04-07T15:22:19.034Z

The descent is more shallow than the ascent up, and isn’t especially technical.

2026-04-07T15:21:55.257Z

15km to go, Seixas is retaining his lead of 50 seconds on the descent.

2026-04-07T15:21:07.172Z

Lipowitz, Uijtdebroeks, Baudin, Skjelmose and Izagirre crested the climb a little ahead of the other chasers.

2026-04-07T15:19:15.036Z

Behind, Lipowitz is caught by the chase group just as he summit the climb.

Paul Seixas reaches the top of the climb, his lead still 50 seconds.

Lipowitz still has 50 seconds to make up if he’s to catch Seixas, though. They will have to be gained on the descent, as they’re about to summit the climb.

2026-04-07T15:15:40.355Z

Attack from Lipowitz, and this time he’s gone clear!

2026-04-07T15:14:56.939Z

Now Izagirre aand Roglic join them.

2026-04-07T15:14:42.860Z

As has Uijtdebroeks.

2026-04-07T15:14:30.446Z

Lipowitz has clawed up to his wheel.

2026-04-07T15:14:06.294Z

Del Toro ups the pace on a steeper section, and has a small gap.

2026-04-07T15:13:47.639Z

1.5km from the top for Seixas, his lead at 45 seconds.

2026-04-07T15:13:28.412Z

Tejada has joined the chasers from behind, and Landa is nearing them.

2026-04-07T15:13:10.521Z

Lipowitz led for a little while, but now Del Toro takes over again.

2026-04-07T15:12:09.467Z

Cohesion has broken down though, as the Red Bull riders try attacking.

2026-04-07T15:11:37.139Z

Del Toro is leading the chase group, and is keeping the gap at 45 seconds.

2026-04-07T15:09:39.193Z

Seixas is riding away from them all though – he’s grown his lead to 45 seconds.

2026-04-07T15:09:20.474Z

There are nine riders in the chase – Roglič, Lipowitz, Del Toro, Tulett, Baudin, Skjelmose, Uijtdebroeks, Izagirre and Champoussin

2026-04-07T15:07:36.000Z

They’ve been joined by more riders, including Primož Roglič.

2026-04-07T15:06:10.282Z

Del Toro ups the pace in the chase, taking Tulett, Lipowitz, Uijtdebroeks and Izagirre with him.

2026-04-07T15:05:22.363Z

Lipowitz has been caught by that chase group, which is 20 seconds behind now.

2026-04-07T15:04:57.239Z

Included in that group of 12 are Del Toro, Tulett, Skjelmose, Uijtdebroeks, and those who were in the day’s break still.

2026-04-07T15:04:14.659Z

The peloton behind Lipowitz only has about 12 riders left in it.

2026-04-07T15:03:34.204Z

Lipowitz has set off in pursuit of the yellow jersey by himself, but is 15 seconds adrift already.

2026-04-07T15:03:07.078Z

Back in the chase group, Ayuso is struggling, and has been droped out of it.

2026-04-07T15:02:42.880Z

Bou tried to hang on to his wheel, but Seixas is now clear by himself.

2026-04-07T15:01:48.996Z

Seixas has caught them, and now leads the race, with 25.5km left to ride.

2026-04-07T15:01:28.463Z

Seixas has caught and passed Van den Broeck, and is bearing down on the rest.

2026-04-07T15:00:40.927Z

Lipowitz is leading the chase behind, aleady about ten seconds behind.

2026-04-07T15:00:17.124Z

Nobody is following him.

The yellow jersey accelerates, staying in his saddle but producing considerable power!

2026-04-07T14:59:01.288Z

The gradient steepens, and García Pierna ups the pace in the break.

2026-04-07T14:57:47.285Z

Hayter and Van den Broeck have joined the leading duo, but not Armirail.

2026-04-07T14:57:10.551Z

Still it’s Decathlon who lead, and have the peloton all spread out, with some being dropped towards the back, including Alaphilippe.

2026-04-07T14:56:29.704Z

Mintegi was dropped out the break, and is taken back by the peloton.

2026-04-07T14:55:52.053Z

Back in the break, Bou and García Pierna have attacked out from the break.

2026-04-07T14:55:17.457Z

Well, it’s not exactly a long line – Paul Seixas has two riders pacing him.

2026-04-07T14:54:24.016Z

Now Decathlon take over again, with a long line.

2026-04-07T14:53:25.463Z

Lidl lead the peloton onto the climb, led by Simmons.

2026-04-07T14:53:10.349Z

And now here comes the peloton onto the climb, the pace back up again.

2026-04-07T14:52:15.870Z

Here we go! The break swings on to the San Miguel de Aralar, and will spend the next 9.4km climbing at 7.8%.

The pace is off again in the peloton, with the group spread horizontally across the road. That’s allowed the break to grow their lead again, up to 1:25. Do they still have a chance?

2026-04-07T14:48:41.689Z

The pace is up in the peloton, and the gap is consequently coming down. They now have little more than a minute.

2026-04-07T14:45:41.255Z

Which riders do we need to look out for? The likes of Kévin Vauquelin, Primož Roglič and Florian Lipowitz are the most immediate threats to Paul Seixas on GC, but Isaac del Toro and Juan Ayuso should enjoy such a tough climb too.

2026-04-07T14:43:58.517Z

We’re nearing crunch time. They’ll be climbing in less than 10km, and the race for position in the peloton is on.

2026-04-07T14:39:20.189Z

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-07T14:38:36.204Z

Hayter is talking to his team car, and seems to have some kind of problem with his bike. He’s riding on for now.

The break’s lead over the peloton remains the same, at 1:30.

2026-04-07T14:36:30.702Z

Hayter has taken the seconds, and dropped back into the break.

2026-04-07T14:35:45.517Z

There are some bonus seconds available, and Hayter has attacked out of the break in pursuit of them.

2026-04-07T14:34:41.611Z

Axel Laurance was the other Ineos rider to go down in the crash, though he and Hamilton are back in the peloton now.

Today’s climb will be too hard for him, but he’s a contender for stage wins on easier days later in the race.

The gap between the peloton and the break has grown, to 1:20. This is a crucial phase of the race for the break’s chances of survival, as they’ll need to grow it considerably more on this rolling section before the start of the final climb. The odds are against them.

2026-04-07T14:24:30.430Z

Ineos’ leader Vauquelin was held up a little, but didn’t go down, and was unaffected.

2026-04-07T14:23:31.753Z

It appears that everyone is up and running again. Lucas Hamilton was the worst off, but is also riding his way back to the peloton.

2026-04-07T14:22:14.592Z

Crash in the peloton – 3 Ineos riders involved, and 2 Tudor riders.

2026-04-07T14:20:25.735Z

The seven riders in the break today.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-07T14:17:38.882Z

The updated KOM rankings, with just one climb left today:

1 Bou 12 points

The peloton hasn’t let up on the descent, though the gap has increased a little, to 50 seconds. The break will need to push on hard to give themselves a chance.

2026-04-07T14:10:04.576Z

The peloton has also crested the climb, just 45 seconds after the break. The jostling for position by the GC teams increased the pace significantly, reflected by the reduction of the gap.

Bou again moves to the front to take the maximum points on offer at the top of the climb, this time from Armirail and Garcia.

2026-04-07T14:07:23.665Z

The GC teams in the peloton are making sure to stay right at the front on this narrow climb. The likes of UAE and Ineos are now riding up there with Decathlon.

2026-04-07T14:05:52.091Z

A nice gesture from Hayter in the break, who hands his bidon to a child watching on the roadside.

2026-04-07T14:04:40.875Z

The road surface here is also pretty rough, adding to the difficulty, but we’re still too far out for any of the GC contenders to light things up in the peloton.

2026-04-07T14:03:47.454Z

The road narrows as they swing onto the steep final slopes to the summit of Aldatz. This one’s a category three, so has less points on offer, but these final gradients are tough.

2026-04-07T14:00:57.434Z

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-07T13:57:02.821Z

Enzo Paleni and Rémy Rochas were the two Groupama riders involved in the crash earlier.

The break has reached the bottom of the descent with their lead of 1:20 still intact. But you imagine they’ll need to grow it to more tha that before the final climb if they’re to have a chance of competing for the stage win.

2026-04-07T13:50:18.816Z

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-07T13:49:21.598Z

The updated KOM rankings, after Bou, Mintegi and Van den Broeck took the points:

1 Bou 9 points

Bou wants the mountains points again at the top of the climb. He jumps clear to seal them, ahead of the rest of the disinterested group.

2026-04-07T13:43:00.935Z

Fajardo has dropped back into the peloton.

2026-04-07T13:41:53.266Z

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Decathlon’s pace on this climb is bringing the break’s lead down. It’s at 1:20, the lowest it’s been since shortly after it initially formed.

2026-04-07T13:36:30.363Z

The break are on the Alto de Zuarrarrate, and Farjado has been dropped.

2026-04-07T13:35:43.511Z

Still it’s Decathlon CMA CGM who lead the peloton.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-07T13:33:13.247Z

One rider whose performance will be of particular interest today will be Juan Ayuso’s. Was his problems in the time trial yesterday a mere bad day, or does he lack his top form and fitness? The Spaniard has said that he intends to keep fighting for GC, and hopes to improve as the race goes on.

The gap’s grown again, to 1:55. They’re nearing the end of this flat section, and will be climbing again soon.

2026-04-07T13:22:20.873Z

Today is one of many that Raúl García Pierna has ventured out into the break on already this year, having already done so at Paris-Nice and Volta Comunitat Valenciana, to name a few. He managed to take a stage in the latter, too, and is on paper one of the strongest riders in the group.

2026-04-07T13:18:14.337Z

Frank van den Broek is another rider in the break who could be hard to bring back – as anyone who remembers the opening stage of the 2024 Tour de France will attest to.

The gap’s come down a little on this (rare) flat section, to about 1:40.

2026-04-07T13:10:29.800Z

Ethan Hayter is another man who, like Armirail, is trying again after delivering a time trial short of his best. His form has been erratic for the past few years, but by getting into the break today he’s shown he has the appetite to ride for a stage win.

The gap between the break and the peloton has remained much the same on the descent, at just under two minutes.

2026-04-07T13:05:14.454Z

Armirail’s presence in the break also suggests that his Visma-Lease a Bike team are targeting stage wins rather than the GC. Though they have Ben Tulett well-placed in fourteenth on the overall rankings following yesterday’s time trial, they haven’t brought any of their big stage race guns to the Basque Country.

But it’s still a strong line- up, epitomised by Armirail, and will make them dangerous prospects on days like this in the hunt for stage wins.

As they continue to climb to the unclassified summit of Puerto de Lizarraga, the gap remains steady, hovering at around two minutes.

2026-04-07T12:45:36.927Z

Decathlon have taken on the responsibility of leading the peloton, for their leader in the yellow jersey. It’s a rare position the team find themselves in, but one that will likely become more common the longer they retain the services of Paul Seixas.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-07T12:37:55.067Z

The kind of terrain they’re taking on at the moment is typical of the Basque Country. It’s not a classified climb, but the road has been going up for almost 10km, and will continue doing so, with varying gradients, for about another 10km.

The gap between the peloton and the breakaway has come down a bit, to 2:15, as they climb an uncategorised rise.

2026-04-07T12:31:58.269Z

Paul Seixas in yellow, safely in the peloton.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-07T12:26:41.298Z

Here are the updated virtual KOM rankings. Bou takes over the lead from Seixas, who had led by setting the fastest time at the top of the climb during yesterday’s time trial:

1 Bou 6 points

The breakaway has a healthy lead of 2:35, as they reach the bottom of the descent.

2026-04-07T12:14:48.680Z

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-07T12:10:20.550Z

At last, Armirail and García Pierna have made the juncture on the descent. We have a new leading group of seven.

The leaders are descending having crested the climb, the two chasers trailing by about 30 seconds, and the peloton by over two and a half minutes.

2026-04-07T12:02:14.627Z

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The two still chasers still have to catch up to the leaders, however. As they near the summit of the climb, they’re still 45 seconds behind.

2026-04-07T11:57:44.885Z

The time gap between the peloton and the leaders is now being reported at a much bigger distant, to over two minutes. That suggests the peloton is happy to let both the leaders and the chasers get up the road.

2026-04-07T11:54:43.850Z

As a result, the leading five’s advantage has been reduced too, down from about 1:30 to 50 seconds.

2026-04-07T11:54:15.616Z

The peloton appear less happy to let this pair go. They’ve upped the pace and are keeping them at just five seconds.

2026-04-07T11:51:26.005Z

This isn’t done yet. Two riders have jumped out of the peloton hoping to catch up to the leaders, and they’re a strong pair – Bruno Armirail and Raúl García Pierna.

2026-04-07T11:50:21.033Z

The riders making their way through the streets of Pamplona at the start, more famous for bulls roaming through it than hoards of cyclists.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-07T11:45:24.114Z

Fajardo has made the junction. With the peloton seemingly happy about the personnel in this group, they’re not having to ride this climb too hard.

2026-04-07T11:44:00.503Z

The break is growing its lead on the climb, up to 1:20. Fajardo is still chasing behind, with 10 seconds to make up.

2026-04-07T11:40:42.254Z

As they start the climb, the leading four have built a big lead already, of almost a minute. Unless more riders want to use the climb to get into the break, this could be the day’s break formed.

2026-04-07T11:38:12.186Z

Adrián Fajardo is chasing that quartet trying to join them.

2026-04-07T11:37:14.337Z

Four new riders have attacked – Hayter, Van den Broeck, Mintegi and Bou.

2026-04-07T11:36:33.027Z

The stage begins with a few kilometres of flat, but very soon they’ll be climbing, up the category two Alto de Etxauri (6.6km at 6.6%). That will shape the kind of riders who will be able to get into the break today – put simply, they have to be good at climbing.

2026-04-07T11:34:10.672Z

Four riders have attacked already, but all brought back.

And they’re off!

2026-04-07T11:32:19.876Z

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-07T11:26:23.716Z

Paul Seixas in the yellow jersey this morning before the start.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-07T11:23:04.883Z

The riders are moving through the neutralised section in Pamplona. Not long before they’ll see the flag.

2026-04-07T11:18:47.227Z

To catch up with everything that happened during yesterday’s stage, have a read of our full race report.