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2026-04-11T16:12:48.019Z<\/p>\n
Seixas has utterly dominated this race. He’s won three stages, the overall title, and even done the clean sweep of points classification, mountains classification and best young rider.<\/p>\n
2026-04-11T16:09:50.987Z<\/p>\n
The real star of this week as a whole, though, was of course Paul Seixas. The Frenchman might have been put under pressure today, but still showed great maturity in not panicking, and didn’t make any mistakes in the hazardous conditions.<\/p>\n
2026-04-11T16:08:42.007Z<\/p>\n
Victory today is also a major breakthrough for a rider who is just 20-years-old, and looks like a serious talent.<\/p>\n
2026-04-11T16:06:36.211Z<\/p>\n
Andrew August’s win is yet another for Ineos, who have been prolific this season. It’s also their second of the race, following Laurance’s success on stage three.<\/p>\n
2026-04-11T16:00:12.218Z<\/p>\n
Johannessen jumps all the way up from 11th to 3rd on GC, while Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d dissappears out of the top ten all together. Despite all of EF’s work, Alex Baudin appears to have been dropped at some point during the final, as he falls to ninth overall, overtaken by Champoussin, Bilbao, Romo and Arrieta.<\/p>\n
2026-04-11T15:57:04.701Z<\/p>\n
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(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
2026-04-11T15:52:34.781Z<\/p>\n
Andrew August soloing to stage victory.<\/p>\n
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(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
2026-04-11T15:51:08.660Z<\/p>\n
Lipowitz holds on for second, and it seems Johannessen will finish third, ahead of Ion Izagirre.<\/p>\n
2026-04-11T15:50:24.188Z They cross the line – Paul Seixas is winner of the 2026 Itzulia Basque Country!<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:49:23.676Z<\/p>\n Here comes the yellow jersey group now.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:48:51.357Z<\/p>\n 3:09 is the time Lipowitz needs to finish within Johanessen if he’s to defend his second place overall.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:48:15.516Z<\/p>\n Arrieta finishes, with a few UAE teammates. That’ll be enough to catapult him up the GC rankings.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:47:40.867Z<\/p>\n First place overall seems out of reach for Johannessen, but he may well take second depending on when the yellow jersey group arrives.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:47:04.472Z<\/p>\n And now the Johannessen group comes home. What will the gap be between them and the yellow jersey group?<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:46:31.354Z<\/p>\n Van den Broek beats Glivar in the two-up sprint for third place.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:45:57.940Z<\/p>\n Garcia Pierna arrives home a few seconds home for second place.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:45:31.968Z He takes the win, the biggest of his career so far!<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:45:03.004Z<\/p>\n Here the American comes.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:44:34.789Z August has a seven second lead over Garcia Pierna, with just 1km to ride.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:43:49.892Z<\/p>\n First place on GC might be out of sight for Johannessen, but he\u2019s still fighting for second. It looks like it\u2019ll come down to the wire between himself and Florian Lipowitz.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:42:37.227Z<\/p>\n August is looking good for the stage win – he’s just 2km away from the finish.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:40:15.770Z<\/p>\n Seixas leads his group over the top of the climb, three minutes after Johannessen. Provided he handles this final descent OK, he should be sealing overall victory.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:38:58.330Z<\/p>\n So far, though, August is descending to perfection.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:38:36.834Z<\/p>\n This is a tricky situation for August. He wants to push on on this descent to seal victory, but the road is dangerously wet.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:36:58.833Z<\/p>\n The Johannessen group reaches the top just under a minute later.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:36:18.291Z August reaches the top at the front of the race. It’s now pretty much all downhill to the finish<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:35:10.349Z<\/p>\n August is nearing the top of the climb.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:34:04.157Z August is looking good for the stage win here! He’s 5 seconds up on Garcia Pierna, 20 seconds on Van den Broek and Glivar, and 30 seconds up on the Johannessen chase.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:33:02.549Z<\/p>\n August attacks again, and drops Garcia Pierna.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:31:06.297Z<\/p>\n Van den Broeck and Gilvar are chasing after the leading duo.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:30:24.781Z<\/p>\n The gap between the Seixas and Johannessen group is holding steady again, at about 3:20. It looks like Seixas should be OK.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:27:49.741Z<\/p>\n Andrew August attacks from the foot of the climb, taking Garcia Pierna with him.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:27:07.348Z<\/p>\n The leaders start the final climb, the Alto de Asentzio, which rises for 7.2km at 5.3%.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:25:41.898Z<\/p>\n Arrieta is up to 5th on the virtual GC, while Johannessen is up to second – but still needs a big 2:30 more to dethrone Seixas.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:23:26.547Z<\/p>\n A reminder that 5:39 is Seixas’ advantage over Johannessen on GC.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:21:49.230Z<\/p>\n Three minutes is the gap between the lead Johannessen group and the chasing Seixas group.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:21:23.192Z<\/p>\n This should help him, as there are multilple EF riders working at the front, for their GC man Alex Baudin.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:20:36.995Z<\/p>\n Seixas has dropped back to the Lipowitz group.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:19:47.419Z<\/p>\n The second highest man on GC in the lead group is Igor Arriera. At this rate he also stands to move up a lot.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:18:45.846Z<\/p>\n Johannessen is the only man in the lead group interested in the GC, but there’s plenty of incentive in it to work, as there’s a stage win up for grabs.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:17:58.782Z<\/p>\n There’s still no sign of his Decathlon teammate Riccitello – might he have been dropped earlier in the day, and therefore not be up ahead to provide help?<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:17:11.733Z<\/p>\n Seixas is falling further adrift. He could do well to drop back into the group behind him, and receive some help.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:15:22.099Z Seixas is 2:30 behind the leading Johannessen group, and still 45 seconds ahead of the Lipowitz group.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:14:14.924Z<\/p>\n UAE’s contribution is making life harder for Seixas, who is dropping further behind.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:13:38.129Z<\/p>\n UAE are also working with Uno-X Mobility in the front group, with their eye on the stage win potentially for Arrieta.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:10:48.941Z<\/p>\n Healy and Skjelmose have been caught by the Johannessen chase group, at long last.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:10:22.497Z<\/p>\n Seixas’s Decathlon are monitoring the situation. His team car has just had a word with him. This is a test of the inexperienced nineteen-year-old’s tactical nous.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:09:20.400Z<\/p>\n Johannessen is also gaining time on Seixas, now over two minutes ahead. The Frenchman’s advantage over him of 5:39 should be safe, but he can’t afford to go into the red.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:07:59.893Z<\/p>\n This has been a great ploy by Uno-X Mobility today. Johannessen even has second-place in sight, with Lipowitz’s place there now under pressure.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:06:35.834Z<\/p>\n The riders are getting absolutely soaked out there.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:04:41.746Z<\/p>\n The rains started to fall even heavier.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:03:32.384Z<\/p>\n Riccitello still hasn’t been sent back to help pace Seixas, who’s being left to do all the work himself. He’s not making any inroads in the riders ahead of him.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:02:38.067Z Only 13 seconds now between the two leaders and the Johannessen chase. Meanwhile Seixas is two minutes down, and the Lipowitz group 45 seconds behind him.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T15:00:52.148Z<\/p>\n Soler has been caught by the Johannessen group, which has about 15 riders in it.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:59:41.202Z<\/p>\n Soler has been dropped by Healy and Skjelmose.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:58:17.381Z<\/p>\n The Johannessen group is getting nearer to the three chasers, now just 25 seconds behind.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:57:38.377Z<\/p>\n The riders have begun the long, draggy gradual uphill to the foot of the final climb. On these roads, those in groups with strength in numbers should be at an advantage – which could play against Seixas.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:56:18.105Z Soler was again first over the Alto de Azkarate, and is now getting close to overthrowing Seixas as leader of the montain classification, in one of today’s subplots.<\/p>\n 1 Seixas 32 points<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2 Soler 31<\/p>\n 3 Bou 22<\/p>\n 4 Anders Johannessen 19<\/p>\n 5 Skjelmose 18<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:53:13.363Z<\/p>\n Amid all the action, still it’s Soler, Healy and Skjelmose who lead the race, with just one climb left to complete. Will one of them take the stage win today, or will the catch yet be made?<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:51:59.899Z<\/p>\n Seixas has dropped the riders who were with him, and has now caught up to Crass who is clinging on to his wheel.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:50:57.540Z The leading trio are 1 minute ahead of the Johannessen chase group, which in turn is 1:30 ahead of Seixas, who is one minute ahead of the Lipowitz chase group.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:48:21.513Z<\/p>\n Paul Seixas on the attack.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:44:58.141Z<\/p>\n One big development today is that Tobias Halland Johannessen is rocketing up the GC ranking as a result of getting into the break. As things stand, he\u2019s up to third in the virtual GC.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:43:42.175Z<\/p>\n He has four riders with him in total, but they might be able to last much longer on this climb.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:43:09.707Z<\/p>\n Paul Seixas has collected more riders dropped from the break ahead, and is motoring along with them on his wheel.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:41:17.212Z<\/p>\n It appears there is a chase group of about 10 behind Seixas , that is about 30 seconds adrift. It features Lipowitz and Izagirre, but not Rogli\u010d, who we think is in the peloton about a minute and a half adrift.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:39:16.645Z<\/p>\n The three leaders, ploughing on in the rain.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:33:43.966Z Soler, Healy and Skjelmose still lead the race, 1:25 ahead of the large Johannessen chase group, and 3:10 ahead of Seixas. It’s unclear how far behind the other GC favourites.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:32:23.092Z<\/p>\n Seixas will be fine on his own on this descent, and on the upcoming climb. It’s the vally road of about 20km leading to the final climb where he will need help.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:31:28.293Z<\/p>\n Scratch that – it’s not Riccitello who is with Seixas, but a Caja Rural rider who was dropped from the break. The Frenchman is having to do all the work himself for now.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:29:22.515Z<\/p>\n As strong as Seixas is, he will likely need Riccitello for this move, as he still has over 50km to ride until the finish.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:28:29.268Z<\/p>\n Riccitello has indeed dropped back from the break and is pacing the yellow jersey. This might always have been the plan from Decathlon.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:27:04.507Z<\/p>\n Seixas is on a mission. He’s already brough the gap between himself and the big chase group to 1:45, and 3:15 to the leaders.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:26:23.113Z<\/p>\n Seixas has a big gap over the others! And he’s also got a teammate in Riccitello up the road. He’ll presumably wait up for him soon.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:25:40.094Z Back at the front, Soler leads the front trio over the climb.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:24:23.230Z<\/p>\n That was a viscious, out-the-saddle-acceleration, and Seixas has gapped them all.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:23:59.599Z Now the Frenchman attacks – and it’s a big one!<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:22:47.527Z<\/p>\n Seixas has moved to the front of this group and is setting the pace.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:21:10.882Z<\/p>\n Those five riders have caught Romo.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:20:58.716Z<\/p>\n Four riders have gone wirh Vauquelin – Seixas, Lipowitz, Izagirre and an Astana rider, possibly Tejada.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:19:22.493Z<\/p>\n The peloton is very small now, and attacks keep being made. Vauquelin is the latest to have a go.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:18:37.887Z<\/p>\n Lipowitz has indeed attacked! But Seixas is on his wheel.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:17:52.933Z<\/p>\n Romo has attacked, but will either of the Red Bull duo of Lipowitz and Rogli\u010d follow suit? They’re the best-placed on GC to challenge Seixas, in second and third respectively, but have a lot of ground to make up: 2:30 and 3:40 to be specific.<\/p>\n They haven\u2019t had any joy in taking on the Frenchman yet, but might today be different in the wet conditions?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:15:54.528Z<\/p>\n Back at the front, Skjelmose has re-joined the leading duo.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:15:06.115Z<\/p>\n Romo looked very strong yesterday, but remains far down on GC in 10th at 5:05. He might spy an oppertunity to climb higher today.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:14:26.404Z<\/p>\n Attack from Javier Romo in the peloton.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:14:08.266Z Healy and Soler are looking good, and have grown their lead to the chasing group to one minute. The peloton are 4:20 behind.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:12:03.318Z<\/p>\n Soler has managed to stick to Healy’s wheel.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:11:44.773Z<\/p>\n Skjelmose has been dropped, as Healy presses on.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:10:23.100Z<\/p>\n He doesn’t go clear, and Skjelmose takes to the front to ride tempo.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:09:33.771Z<\/p>\n Now Soler attacks!<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:08:37.656Z<\/p>\n This increase in pace has helped their gap to the chase grow again, to 35 seconds.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:07:56.775Z<\/p>\n Healy and Soler have managed to follow him, but not the other two.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:07:38.956Z<\/p>\n Skjelmose attacks! He’s got a small gap ahead of the rest of the lead group.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:06:05.725Z<\/p>\n The chase group are right behind them now, at just 20 seconds.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:05:31.280Z<\/p>\n The leading 5 have started climbing again, up the 6.9km, 7.5% Alto de Elosua.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:03:23.926Z<\/p>\n The weather remains foul out there, with many layers being worn by all.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T14:00:16.903Z<\/p>\n Tomorrow, all the attention in the cycling world will turn to France for one of the occasions of the season: Paris-Roubaix. As always, anticipation has reached fever pitch – be sure to have a read of our analysis to get in the mood.<\/p>\n Paris-Roubaix brings Tadej Poga\u010dar vs Mathieu van der Poel round three in 2026, but who has the better supporting cast for the hellish pav\u00e9? \u2013 Analysis<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:56:43.539Z Still the chase group rides hard, propelled by Uno-X Mobility, but they haven’t brought the leading 5 back yet, who hold a 35 second advantage. The peloton is happy to let all these groups stay clear, however, and is just under 4 minutes behind the leaders.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:50:26.561Z<\/p>\n The riders are taking on a long flat section before the start of the day’s third climb, coming up in about 10km.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:46:57.316Z<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:45:27.493Z<\/p>\n Here is the chase group in full:<\/p>\n Tobias Halland Johannessen, Andreas Kron, Torstein Tr\u00e6en, Martin Tj\u00f8tta, Johannes Kulset (all Uno-X Mobility), Bruno Armirail, Tim Rex, Menno Huising, Filippo Fiorelli (all Visma-Lease a Bike), Igor Arrieta, Felix Gro\u00dfschartner, Domen Novak (all UAE Team Emirates XRG), Gal Gilvar, Emiel Verstrynge, Ramses Debruyne (all Alpecin-Premier Tech), Jan Castellon, Fernando Barcel\u00f3, Alex Molenaar (all Caja Rural – Seguros RGA), Guillaume Martin, Cl\u00e9ment Braz Afonso (both Groupama-FDJ United), Ra\u00fal Garc\u00eda Pierna, Natnael Tesfatsion (both Movistar), Markel Beloki, Michael Leonard (both EF Education-EasyPost), Steff Crass (Soudal-QuickStep), Brandon Rivera (Ineos Grenadiers), Oliver Stockwell (Bahrain Victorious), Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM), Frank van den Broek (Picnic-PostNL), Andrea Bagioli (Lidl-Trek), Simone Velasco (XDS Astana) and Jos\u00e9 Manuel D\u00edaz (Burgos Burpellet BH).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:41:09.880Z The five leaders lead the chasers by 1:15, and the peloton by 4:15.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:40:38.881Z L\u00f3pez led the five-man break over the climb.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:34:16.539Z<\/p>\n Soler and \u00d8xenberg have dragged their way back to them.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:33:45.479Z<\/p>\n The lead group has broken up on this climb – L\u00f3pez, Healy and Skjelmose are clear of ther other two.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:29:56.387Z<\/p>\n The riders are climbing again, up the 3km, 7.1% Alto de Azkarate.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:28:08.831Z<\/p>\n Riders have varying degrees of confidence descending in these conditions. In the break, L\u00f3pez took it cautiously, and has only just rejoined the other leads now the road has flattened out.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:27:04.203Z The five leaders are one minute up on the chase group, and three minutes up on the peloton.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:26:16.291Z<\/p>\n Uno-X Moblity leading the chase group.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:24:25.187Z<\/p>\n Other stand out names present in it include Igor Arrieta, Matthew Riccitello, Guillaume Martin and Ra\u00fal Garc\u00eda Pierna.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:23:15.353Z<\/p>\n In the chase group, Uno-X Moblity is the best represented team with five riders, though Visma-Lease a Bike have four (including Armirail), while Alpecin-Premier Tech and Caja Rural – Seguros RGA have three each.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:21:08.623Z<\/p>\n Juan Pedro L\u00f3pez and Peter \u00d8xenberg have joined the three leaders on the descent.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:16:23.249Z Soler, Skjelmose and Healy still lead, with the Uno-X Mobility chase group 1:20 down, and the peloton 3:00 down.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:15:29.949Z<\/p>\n There are about 30 riders in this chase group led by Uno-X Mobility. The highest ranked rider on GC appears to be Tobias Halland Johannessen at 5:39.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:14:01.148Z<\/p>\n The group being led by Uno-X Mobility isn\u2019t the peloton, but rather a very large chasing group. Paul Seixas and his main GC rivals are in the peloton, further behind.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:13:07.109Z Soler moves to the front of the leading trio and takes the points at the top of the climb.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:11:13.809Z<\/p>\n The pace set by Uno-X Mobility on the climb has seen the peloton significantly reduced in size already.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:08:08.982Z<\/p>\n The three rides leading the race.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:05:55.556Z<\/p>\n Uno-X Mobility are leading the chase in the peloton. They don’t have a GC man, so are doing so to try to form a new break with their riders represented in it.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:01:39.715Z<\/p>\n Peter \u00d8xenberg has joined L\u00f3pez in the chase.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T13:00:44.266Z<\/p>\n Here’s more on the news today that Pello Bilbao has announced his retirement from racing.<\/p>\n Tour de France and Giro d’Italia stage winner Pello Bilbao announces retirement at end of 2026<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:58:32.738Z<\/p>\n Juan Pedro L\u00f3pez attacks out the peloton.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:57:46.372Z<\/p>\n The peloton has split as they ascend this climb.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:55:45.303Z<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:53:55.105Z<\/p>\n Bagioli has abandoned the race. In these conditions, there’s bound to be a high drop put rate, as riders protect their health and fitness.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:51:31.498Z Still Soler, Healy and Skjelmose lead by 20 seconds, as the near the foot of the day’s second climb.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:48:43.320Z<\/p>\n The three leaders crested the first climb together ahead of the bunch, with Skjelmose taking the 3 points, Healy 2 points and Soler 1 point. Each of these riders do have some points in the KOM classification, but are some way down from the leader Paul Seixas.<\/p>\n 1 Seixas 32 points<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2 Bou 22<\/p>\n 3 Anders Johannessen 19<\/p>\n 4 Lipowitz 18<\/p>\n 5 Soler 15<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:44:58.901Z Soler, Healy and Skjelmose still lead, by about 20 seconds.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:43:37.997Z<\/p>\n The weather really has turned nasty today. This could make for a complicated final stage – and a new test for Paul Seixas, should his GC rivals want to put him under pressure in these conditions.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:37:40.741Z<\/p>\n Soler and Healy are reuniting having attacked together yesterday. It\u2019s no surprise to see two riders with such an insatiable appetite for attacking get up the road again today.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:35:23.723Z<\/p>\n Three riders have gone clear from the bunch, and it’s a strong trio – Soler, Healy, and Skjelmose.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:32:37.330Z<\/p>\n As feared, the weather has taken a turn for the worse, and it’s started raining.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:27:55.677Z Still no break has gone clear, as they continue up the climb.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:27:16.162Z<\/p>\n Van der Lee on the attack.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:22:10.163Z<\/p>\n He’s been brought back, and the peloton is all together.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:19:14.012Z<\/p>\n Jardi Christiaan van der Lee has attacked on the climb. The Dutchman has ridden aggressively throughout this week.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:17:40.666Z<\/p>\n The climbing has begun pretty much straight away, with the riders already taking on the first of the day\u2019s 6 categorised ascents: the 4.6km, 7.6% Alto de Asentzio.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:14:57.945Z And they’re off!<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:10:18.641Z<\/p>\n We’ll bring you more on that Bilbao news later.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:09:59.852Z<\/p>\n A major announcement was made during sign-in today – Pello Bilbao will retire at the end of the season. The 36-year-old has been one of the best Basque riders of his generation, winning stages at and finishing in the top 6 at both the Giro d\u2019Italia and Tour de France.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:07:35.467Z<\/p>\n As forecasted, the temperature has dipped from the highs of the week so far, but there\u2019s no rain – at least not yet. Should the heavens open, this could become a complicated stage, what with all the descending as well as ascending.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T12:05:24.313Z<\/p>\n The riders will be racing soon – they’re just making their way through the neutralised zone towards the official start.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T11:59:39.498Z<\/p>\n Also missing from the start having pulled out are Julian Alaphilippe, Enzo Paleni and Gotzon Martin.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T11:58:32.849Z<\/p>\n There are a handful of riders who won’t be starting today – most notably Ben Tulett. The Brit had been 6th overall on GC, before being dropped early yesterday to slide down to 16th.<\/p>\n 2026-04-11T11:51:31.274Z<\/p>\n Florian Lipowitz nearly managed to get the better of Seixas yesterday, sticking to his wheel throughout the stage, but came out second best in the final sprint between the two.<\/p>\n Itzulia Basque Country: Paul Seixas extends lead with third victory on stage 5 after thrilling duel with Florian Lipowitz<\/a><\/p>\n
\nPAUL SEIXAS WINS THE YELLOW JERSEY<\/p>\n
\nANDREW AUGUST WINS<\/p>\n
\n1KM TO GO<\/p>\n
\nKOM – ALTO DE ASENTZIO<\/p>\n
\n10KM TO GO<\/p>\n
\n20KM TO GO<\/p>\n
\n30KM TO GO<\/p>\n
\nKOM – ALTO DE AZKARATE <\/p>\n
\n40KM TO GO<\/p>\n![\"BERGARA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mVCjsYEzbV7ukdLknykGgN.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"BERGARA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GZi272R6MmMDcfdtpJcdBB.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\n50KM TO GO<\/p>\n
\nKOM – ALTO DE ELOSUA <\/p>\n
\nATTACK – PAUL SEIXAS<\/p>\n
\n60KM TO GO<\/p>\n![\"BERGARA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/qX7R8qMYQUx7iQpJnUbYZA.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\n70KM TO GO<\/p>\n![\"BERGARA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/X7euEV3ivjRLVHXCdMr9oi.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\n80KM TO GO<\/p>\n
\nKOM – ALTO DE AZKARATE <\/p>\n
\n90KM TO GO<\/p>\n![\"BERGARA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/UZieuKUYUj6ymJKejXGRD.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\n100KM TO GO<\/p>\n
\nKOM – ALTO DE ELOSUA <\/p>\n![\"BERGARA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/bCDZsskh9grxfJNV6PpPSN.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"ANTZUOLA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/K5H7BEjTixUfM7NeckHXnb.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\n110KM TO GO<\/p>\n
\n120KM TO GO<\/p>\n![\"ANTZUOLA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Wso72BJY4b54T3kWiouEFk.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\n130KM TO GO<\/p>\n![\"ANTZUOLA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ZZfEF5UiziSjtoyKSoBdhc.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\nOFFICIAL START<\/p>\n![\"ANTZUOLA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/zaDTZh76SZHgcrBaH2MBc.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
![\"EIBAR,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/yEKNBMpgMfLoEXx5Mka7LE.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n