Anyone who watched the first two stages of the Tour of the Basque Country this week saw an utterly dominant Paul Seixas display. Behind the Decathlon talent, however, many more riders are busy with their preparation for what is still to come. One such rider is Ben Tulett of Visma | Lease a Bike, who finished fifth on Tuesday, gaining a confidence boost.
Paul Seixas won the second stage of the Tour of the Basque Country on Tuesday
Sports Director Frans Maassen satisfied: ‘Ben did very well today’What we saw on TV, Tulett saw himself too. ‘It was a great battle with the other GC contenders and I am looking forward to the coming days.’ Those coming days are anything but easy, as it actually never is in the Tour of the Basque Country. However, Wednesday appears to be the least difficult stage of the six-day race.Explosive stage 3 finishThe third stage will take place in and around the town of Basauri, which is situated just south of Bilbao. With 2,800 metres of elevation gain it is unlikely to be a straightforward run back into Basauri.
With three categorised climbs and an uphill finish, expect to see a fight between the classics specialists and the explosive GC men. The toughest climb, the Barrerilla (5 km at 6.6%), comes with over 70 kilometres to go, but after that there are number of short, sharp climbs to deal with.
The final kilometre contains sections that rise above 6%, presenting an inviting challenge for fast finishers looking to take time back on race leader Paul Seixas.