As it happened: Breakaway comes out on top at stage 3 of Itzulia Basque Country

…and outsprints him for victory!

2026-04-08T15:23:40.241Z

Laurance makes his move…

2026-04-08T15:23:23.073Z

Laurance is on his wheel…

2026-04-08T15:23:12.748Z

Arrieta makes his move, just over 300m from the line!

2026-04-08T15:22:50.281Z

Still it’s Laurance who leads.

2026-04-08T15:22:26.787Z

They’re looking at each other, and slowed down – could that bring the chasers back into contention?

2026-04-08T15:22:00.821Z

Laurance is leading Arrieta.

The two leaders are on the final uphill!

2026-04-08T15:21:22.896Z

Martin attacks from the chase, and has gone clear with Johannessen and Van Wilder.

2026-04-08T15:20:48.811Z

The chase have brought back the two leaders a bit, and are 35 seconds behind, but that’s surely too little too late.

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

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Despite Laurance’s attack earlier, he and Arrieta are stil working well together.

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Behind, Lidl is leading the peloton. Is Skjelmose hoping to gain some time on the short uphill to the finish?

2026-04-08T15:17:31.207Z

That’s an interesting move by Laurance, seeing as he’d be the favourite in a two-up sprint.

2026-04-08T15:17:00.525Z

He opened up a bike length or two, but Arrieta is back with him.

2026-04-08T15:16:42.354Z

Laurance accelerates over the top!

Arrieta and Laurance are still together, and are about to reach the top of the second summit in quick succession, before embarking on the descent.

2026-04-08T15:14:20.066Z

There’s no sign of any GC moves on this climb. In fact, the pace in the peloton is slow enough for Caja Rural’s Alex Molenaar to jump clear out of it.

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Johannessen is expressing his frustration at the rest of the group for not chasing, gesturing with his arms. He doesn’t look happy.

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The two leaders up the road.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-08T15:10:11.825Z

Now the chase start the climb, 1:18 later.

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Arrieta led up the climb initially, but now Laurance has taken over. No sign of either making an attack.

2026-04-08T15:08:40.600Z

That pair is approaching the uphill now. Will either of them try an attack?

2026-04-08T15:08:00.298Z

So it appears only two riders can win this stage – Igor Arrieta, and Axel Laurance.

There’s no impotus at all in the chase. They’re not working especially well together, and have seen the defecit grown to 1:15.

2026-04-08T15:04:07.057Z

There are nine riders in the chase group: Van Wilder, Fortunato, Braz Afonso, Martin, Johannessen, Van der Lee, Shaw, Tesfatsion and Thompson.

2026-04-08T15:02:50.182Z

The first chase group is drifting further away, now at 50 seconds. It seems unlikely they’ll make the catch.

2026-04-08T15:01:27.944Z

So if this does come down to a two-up sprint, who’s going to take the win? Laurance certainly has the most pedigree, having won large group sprints before, but the 23-year-old Arrieta is a big talent who could cause a surprise.

2026-04-08T14:59:18.871Z

One thing’s for sure, the peloton has given up the ghost. They’re almost three minutes down now.

This is looking good for Arrieta and Laurance, who are working well together and are 30 seconds up on the chasers. The terrain has gotten easier, too, with a long shallow descent taking them to a couple of small unclassified uphills before the finish.

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It’s been a hot day out there in the Basque Country.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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The peloton reeach the top, but about 2 minutes behind. It’s looking less and less likely that they will make the catch.

Arrieta and Laurance crest the climb together, with a lead of about 20 seconds on the chasers.

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The pace in the peloton is slow enough on this climb for Adrià Pericas and Gal Glivar to escape out of it with an attack.

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That pair lead the race as they climb up the final classified climb of the day, which averages 56% for 2km.

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Laurance and Arrieta have clipped off the front of the lead group, and now lead the race.

2026-04-08T14:45:09.144Z

1:20 is the gap between the peloton and the break, with 40km to go. This race is set to ignite soon on Alto de Bikotz, coming up in just a few kilometres, which kicks up to a nasty gradient of almost 9% for its final 3km.

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

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Still the break’s lead comes slowly down. It’s now at 1:20, as they make their way down a shallow descent.

2026-04-08T14:18:35.970Z

The men’s Scheldeprijs is nearing its business end. We’re bringing you all the action here.

Cofidis are slowly but surely dragging the break back. They have them back to within 1:30.

2026-04-08T14:06:21.627Z

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Cofidis’ work is helping to bring this gap down a little. It’s now at 1:45.

2026-04-08T14:02:30.052Z

Seixas still had an issue to sort out, and has changed bikes again. But everything is calm out there.

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That means the new virtual KOM rankings look like this:

1 Bou 18 points

Two minutes is the break’s lead over the peloton shortly after they crest the climb, with Jorge Gutiérrez in between at 1:17.

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There’s one other rider still trying to chase on to the break by himself – Jorge Gutiérrez of the Equipo Kern Pharma team.

2026-04-08T13:45:47.841Z

Chapeau to the Euskaltel pair of Lastra and Bizkarra, who managed to join the break before the top of the climb.

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Decathlon are leading the peloton on the climb, and keeping the gap at about two minutes.

2026-04-08T13:41:21.733Z

We’re learning that other were involved in that crash, too, including Ben Tulett and Alex Baudin, who were sixth and fifth overall respectivley. Nobody else abandoned, thankfully.

2026-04-08T13:39:39.028Z

We have a reason for Del Toro’s abandon – he was indeed involved in a crash. It wasn’t too heavy, and he managed to get back on his feet and ten his bike, but was bad enough for him to pull out.

2026-04-08T13:38:19.377Z

It seems the timing of 50 seconds was not that between the leaders, but rather between them and the two Euskaltel chasers. The break have a comfortable lead after all, of two minutes on the peloton.

2026-04-08T13:37:14.526Z

Two Euskaltel – Euskadi are in between the break and the peloton – Mikel Bizkarra and Jonathan Lastra. Rather than lead the peloton’s chase, they’re trying to make their own way to the break.

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This climb could be important for the strong climbers in the break to up the pace and increase their lead, even if it means dropping those less fast going uphill.

2026-04-08T13:35:13.386Z

The peloton aren’t happy to give this break much leeway after all! They’ve brought the gap down to 50 seconds. This isn’t looking so good for the break after all.

2026-04-08T13:33:13.574Z

Having been worn down all day by the undulating terrain, the riders are about to take on the first proper climb – the category two Puerto de la Barrerilla. This one rises for 5km at 6.5%, and the plateau at the top is the highest point of the day.

2026-04-08T13:29:07.464Z

Del Toro might have been beneath his best in the previous two stages, but he was still decently positioned on GC, in eighth at 2:44.

Some big news – pre-race favourite Isaac del Toro has abandoned! It’s unclear whether he was involved in an incident, or just lacking legs / fitness, after an under-par day on yesterday’s mountain stage.

Euskaltel-Euskadi have missed the break, and they’ve been sent to the front of the bunch, either to amend that, or as punishment. Either way, it seems that the ship has sailed, as the gap is up to 1:40.

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A glimpse of the fight in the peloton earlier, before the break formed.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-08T13:19:00.239Z

So, the 14 riders who lead the race are:

Axel Laurance

Things are looking promising for this 14-man group – they have a lead of 45 seconds over the peloton, which must be the highest there’s been all day.

2026-04-08T13:12:23.220Z

Johannessen is one of 6 riders in this group under 6 minutes down on GC – the others being Van Wilder, Guillaume Martin, Clément Braz Afonso, Lorenzo Fortunato and Jardi Christiaan van der Lee.

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As is Tobias Halland Johannessen, who would have been a contender for the yellow jersey had he not lost over four minutes yesterday.

2026-04-08T13:08:58.910Z

Fortunato and King of the Mountains Bou are in this new lead group.

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Van Wilder and Laurance are part of a large group of 15 that’s gone clear. Will the peloton chase this one down too, or are they at the end of their tether?

2026-04-08T13:05:43.643Z

Ilan Van Wilder and Axel Laurance are the latest riders to try a move. The latter comes as a bit of a surprise, as he’d be one of the favourites in a bunch finish.

2026-04-08T13:01:45.991Z

The parcours really is testing at the moment. They’re currently going up another unclassified climb, which averages 5.8% for 2km.

Still the attacks keep coming, but still no break has formed. This has been an exhausting start!

2026-04-08T12:51:12.223Z

The riders are climbing the Alto de los Heros, which, despite its difficult vital stats of a 5.4% average for 3.3km, has not been classified. Parcours at Itzulia Basque Country are always deceptively tricky, with hidden difficulties like this.

2026-04-08T12:45:46.483Z

Marc Soler, im typical agressive fashion, was briefly off the front of the race, but has been caught by the front peloton.

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The first and second groups have come together, but the third lags behind still.

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There are more splits in the peloton, which now appears to be in three different groups.

So with the failure of that group to get away, the peloton is all back together again, and still we wait for the definitive break to form.

2026-04-08T12:37:04.818Z

That group has been caught – it was surely too dangerous to allow up the road.

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Ben Healy, Magnus Cort, Quinn Simmons and Steven Kruijswijk are other riders present in this group.

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There are some big names too, including Tejada, who is a threat on GC in tenth overall.

2026-04-08T12:35:16.220Z

We have a development – a large group of eleven riders have joined the two leaders at the front.

2026-04-08T12:34:10.466Z

There are only 10km left in the women’s Scheldeprijs. You can follow all the action with us here.

Elosegui and Veistroffer are staying out there for now, with a lead of 20 seconds.

2026-04-08T12:25:08.181Z

The peloton is chasing this one down too, though, their initial lead of 25 seconds having decreased to 15 seconds.

2026-04-08T12:22:07.502Z

Iñigo Elosegui and, yet again, Baptiste Veistroffer have attacked and have a small lead.

2026-04-08T12:21:01.153Z

The peloton is all back together again having been split earlier.

Over 20km into the stage, and no break has been formed yet.

2026-04-08T12:10:28.422Z

The race is very much on as attackers try to form a break, and there’s been a split in the bunch.

2026-04-08T12:09:08.558Z

It’s another warm day out there in the Basque Country, with a temperature of over 20 degrees. So far this race has not been affected by the kind of rain weather familiar from past editions and that this part of the world is renowned for – the tourist board must be grateful, not to mention the riders taking part.

2026-04-08T12:04:37.285Z

The riders are currently climbing a small unclassified hill, typical of today’s undulating terrain.

2026-04-08T12:03:35.791Z

And now they’ve been clawed back – the race is all together again.

The peloton isn’t happy to let these three go, and are chasing them down. They have them back to just ten seconds.

2026-04-08T11:58:48.148Z

Veistroffer has joined the other two, and they have 30 seconds on the peloton. This is looking promising for them.

2026-04-08T11:56:25.293Z

Veistroffer is purusuing them, after his initial attempt to go clear failed. He’s clearly in the mood today.

2026-04-08T11:55:43.060Z

Maxime Decomble and the man in the King of the Mountain’s jersey, Joan Bou, are the latest riders to make a move.

2026-04-08T11:53:54.944Z

With so many riders no longer a threat on GC, and on a day with parcours that could suit many types of riders, today’s could be a very competetive fight to get into the day’s break.

2026-04-08T11:52:58.466Z

That duo has been brought back.

2026-04-08T11:51:07.904Z

Anders Halland Johannessen and Baptiste Veistroffer are on the attack.

And they’re off!

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A reminder of what happened at yesterday’s stage.