While the Cobbled Classics stars do battle in Northern Europe, many of the peloton’s top climbers are headed to the Basque Country for the Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco. With a parcours that includes both climbs and an ITT, it attracts plenty of Grand Tour-style riders. It also happens to be a hilly race just a few days in advance of the Ardennes Classics, and therefore, it draws many of the likely protagonists of those races as well. True to form, the 2015 edition boasts an appealing, bumpy route and a strong startlist of stars with a variety of specializations.
The Route
There isn’t a lot of flat in the Vuelta al País Vasco. Potential launching pads are everywhere in this race.
Stages 1 and 2 both involve some hills and both end with downhill sections; sprint finishes (likely reduced) are possible, though only if the interested teams can work well to keep any attacks on a short leash. Stage 3 will test the riders with eight categorized climbs, which will almost certainly break things up.
Stage 4 finishes at Arrate just after a Cat. 1 summit. The race often sees a major shakeup here. Another eight-climb day on Stage 5 (closing out with a Cat. 2) will probably see plenty more action. None of these climbs are terribly long, meaning that those riders who can put some punch into a quick uphill charge will thrive.
Stage 6, the final day of racing, is an 18.3-kilometer ITT. The first half is downhill, but then the road goes up, and then down, and then up again towards the finish. Those two uphill sections are pretty tough, which will make this an interesting chrono to close out the Tour of the Basque Country
The General Classification Contenders
Although he would probably prefer the climbs to be more alpine in nature, 2013 winner Nairo Quintana looks like the top contender for the Tour of the Basque Country. Quintana knows how to win this race, he does well even in the time trials here (and this hilly ITT will suit him more than most), and he recently displayed incredible form when he won Tirreno-Adriatico ahead of a powerhouse field. It’s hard to see anyone matching him on the climbs, and he should be able to hold his own on the final stage time trial. With Beñat Intxausti and Ion Izagirre on the startlist as well, Movistar has a stacked lineup for this race.
Michal Kwiatkowski of EQS is the other top favorite for this race. 2nd last year, he has looked to be in excellent form (which he showed with a 2nd place in the recent Paris-Nice. Due to his nice sprint, he would surely prefer bonus seconds, but his explosiveness will suit him plenty even without added time bonuses at the line. He also happens to be one of the best time trialists in the world. It won’t be easy, but if he can hang with Quintana on the tough uphill stuff in this race, he should manage to take a victory on the back of his impressive chrono skills. Tony Martin, who can climb better than many realize, could have a chance at the overall as well.
A powerhouse BMC squad the includes Tejay van Garderen, Rohan Dennis, Samuel Sánchez, and Darwin Atapuma can’t be overlooked. Van Garderen has had a bit of an up-and-down season but his form looked very good at the queen stage of the Volta a Catalunya. If he can manage to avoid having a bad day here (the rainy Basque Country won’t make that easy) he should contend, especially given his great ITT skills. Rohan Dennis obviously sports a strong ITT as well, and is improving as a climber with every race, while Samuel Sanchez seems to always do well in this race, given his punchy skillset, well-suited to the parcours. Atapuma is a bit of a wildcard. He doesn’t get many opportunities to ride for himself but he just put in a nice Top 10 in Catalunya and could get some freedom here.
Rui Costa will love this route (he is a specialist on this sort of terrains) and his ability to put in a nice time trial, especially on a hilly profile, is constantly underrated by cycling analysts. That makes him a strong contender.
FDJ’s Thibaut Pinot has improved as a time trialist and, 2nd in the Critérium International, he seems to have the for necessary to be in the mix here. AG2R’s Jean-Christophe Peraud has been a strong time trialist for a long time and, 1st in the Critérium International, he most certainly has the form necessary to be in the mix here.
Bauke Mollema, 2nd at Tirreno-Adriatico, could continue to shine here. His form in Italy was impressive; he seemed to ride there at a level above what he can typically muster. It’s hard to say whether that will continue here but if the same Bauke Mollema shows up, he’ll contend for the win, with teammate Julián Arredondo an option for Trek as well. Meanwhile, Joaquim Rodriguez is on unknown form after skipping the Volta a Catalunya, but obviously he’s a very dangerous rider in this ultra-hilly race, especially with the Ardennes Classics looming. Simon Spilak was impressive at Paris-Nice and Daniel Moreno is always a strong alternative as well. Andrew Talansky, Tom Dumoulin, Mikel Nieve and Sergio Henao, Adam Yates and Esteban Chaves, and Rafal Majka are others with a shot at the GC in this Tour of the Basque Country.
The Stagehunters
The parcours seems to be deterring the class of pure sprinters who lack versatility from making the trip, but there are plenty of in-between types with fast finishes and strong climbing legs who will hope to bag stage wins here. Michael Matthews, Ben Swift, and Gianni Meersman look to be the class of the bunch, all capable of hanging on over uphill challenges and battling it out at the finish line in a sprint.
Tony Gallopin and Tim Wellens, Philippe Gilbert, Diego Ulissi, Tom-Jelte Slagter, and Simon Gerrans are strong bets to battle it out with the GC types for the intermediate stages that could come down to punchy late attacks or small group sprints; the versatile Lotto duo of Wellens and Gallopin could conceivably contend for the overall if they ride strategically.
And, of course, watch out for Amets Txurruka to try to go on the attack at all times. A constant fixture in KOM competitions in Spanish races, Txurruka has never actually won a WorldTour-level race, but his spirited breakaway attempts have come close in the past.
VeloHuman Top 10 GC Favorites
Winner: Nairo Quintana
Podium: Michal Kwiatkowski, Tejay van Garderen
Other Top Contenders: Bauke Mollema, Rui Costa, Jean-Christophe Peraud, Thibaut Pinot, Samuel Sánchez, Andrew Talansky, Joaquim Rodríguez
-Dane Cash
Photo by Mikel Ortega.
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