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Whatever else happens today, Primož Roglič’s remarkable record of having won the time trial stage in all five of the Itzulia Basque Country editions he has competed in during his career has come to an end. The Slovenian still looks strong, but couldn’t compete with the teenager today, in what feels like a passing-of-the-baton moment.
If Seixas is to win today, it’d be only the third of his career, and a first at World Tour level. The Frenchman is improving at such a rapid rate there’s no telling what he might do this week in the Basque Country.
Paul Seixas, the leader in the clubhouse.
Julian Alaphilippe is off. As ever we can anticipate an animated race by the Frenchman, though more likely in the road stages rather than today.
This has been a front-loaded time trial, with many of the big names having set off already. There’s a little while before the next major contenders get going, but we still have Isaac del Toro and Juan Ayuso to come. Paul Seixas’s is a very strong-looking time, but he doesn’t have the victory sealed yet.
A very good ride by Michael Leonard sees him set the fifth best time at the finish.
Next Mattias Skjelmose finishes, with the fourth best time, 45 seconds off Seixas. He could give Lidl a second GC option, along with their main leader Juan Ayuso.
Now Florian Lipowitz finishes. That’s also a great ride, enough for third, but it pales in comparison to Seixas’, which was a whole 33 seconds faster.
NEW FASTEST TIME – PAUL SEIXAS
What an extraorindary ride by Paul Seixas – he’s just beaten by Roglič’s time by an enormous 28 seconds!
Here comes Seixas on the final climb – and he’s on course to smash the best time!
A very good time for Javier Romo, who is second best at the finish. He’s another one who finished very strongly, actually completing the final part quicker than Roglič.
Antoni Tiberi has just finished, and is way down in 17th. It seems he doesn’t have the form to compete for the overall victory.
Armirail, on his way to posting what remains the second fastest time at the finish.
Alex Baudin has just set the 5th best time at the finish.
With its long descent and nasty steep finish, this is a hard course to pace yourself for, especially for an inexperienced rider like Seixas. You need to have a lot left in the tank to speed up the final steep gradients.
That lead has been reduced to 12 seconds by Lipowitz, who has just gone through the second check, but that’s still a huge lead for the young Frenchman. The question now is whether he can keep this up for the second half of the course.
Wow! Seixas is on a monster rise. He’s just smashed the previous best time of Riccitello by a whole 14 seconds.
Lipowitz is also through that first check with a good time, the fifth fastest.
Seixas is quickest at the first time check!
Bruno Armirail has just finished very strongly, rising from 10th best at the 2nd check to 2nd best at the finish. But he’s still 22 seconds down on Roglič.
Florian Lipowitz is on the course. How will he compare to his teammate, and potential GC co-leader, Primož Roglič.
Maxime Decomble is climbing to the finish, but must have crashed at some point as there are a couple of nasty tears in his jersey shorts.
A very interesting moment now – Paul Seixas rolls off the ramp! The French sensation appears to include time trialling among the many things he can already do to an elite level, having posted the fourth best time at the Volta ao Algarve stage earlier this year. On a hilly course like this, he might be in contention for the stage victory.
Riccitello slowed down a lot in the second half of the course, going from quickest at the second check to fifth at the finish, 30 seconds behind Roglič.
Ben Tulett, on his way to the second best time of the day so far.
Bauke Mollema was quickest at the first time check, but faded all the way down to 20th at the second It seems he must have targetted the KOM points on offer for the fastest time at the first check, and has since knocked off the pace.
He has indeed, finishing third fastest, 25 seconds slower than the best time.
Bilbao is climbing to the finish, and looking like he’s finishing strongly.
The current leader at the clubhouse, Primož Roglič.
Ben Healy came home 6th fastest, 45 seconds slower than Roglič. That’s a hefty chunk already, if he has GC ambitions.
Matthew Riccitello is on a flyer – he’s set the new best time at the second check, quicker even than Roglič, albeit it by one one second.
Tulett also can’t challenge Roglič’s time – he’s quicker than Johanessen, but a distant 24 seconds off the Slovenian.
No, as he’s not even close! He lost a lot of time in the second half of the route and finishes 29 seconds down.
Johannessen is climbing the final rise to the finish, will he beat Roglič?
Prior to Roglič, Beloki was the only rider to come within 20 seconds of Izagirre’s time. The Slovenian is on a whole other level so far – but how will Johannessen fare?
NEW FASTEST TIME – PRIMOZ ROGLIC
Roglič has smashed Izagirre’s time! He’s a whole 33 seconds quicker at the finish.
Pello Bilbao, who shares a name with the location today, is off on the road. He’s another home favourite but does he still have the legs to compete for overall victory here? Today’s time trial will tell us a lot.
Ben Tulett is looking good too, just three seconds off Roglič at the second check. He’s likely to be be Visma-Lease a Bike’s GC leader this week.
Johannessen has slowed a little, and is one second down on Roglič at the second check. There’s still plenty of road to be run from there until the finish.
Johannessen is looking very good – he’s just bettered Roglič’s time at the first check by one second! Can he keep up this pace?
The big names are starting to come thick and fast already. The in-form Tobias Halland Johannessen has started his ride, as has Irish star Ben Healy.
And Roglič has increased his advantage at the second time check, 12 seconds faster than the former leader Beloki.
As expected, Roglič is posts a new best time at the first check, a whole 7 seconds faster than Mintegi.
Roglič was one of the men we picked out as the top contenders for overall victory this week. Have a full read of our analysis.
Ion Izagirre is through the first two checks, and isn’t going as fast as expected. He’s only fourth fastest at the second, 10 seconds down on Beloki.
Here goes Primož Roglič! The two-time former winner of this race will want a big time today to prove his credentials as a GC contender.
It’s a hot day in Bilbao today, with temperatures nearly 30 degrees. There’s no sign the results will be shaped by varying weather conditions, with no threat of rain falling at any point.
Young Markel Beloki is the early pace-setter at the second check, posting a time of 7:53, 6 seconds quicker than Filippo Fiorelli, and 7 seconds quicker than Iker Mintegi, who’s time was quickest at the first check.
There are two intermediate points on the route today – the first at the top of the climb, the Alto Santo Domingo, that comes just a few kilometres into the route, and the second just a few kilometres later.
Izagirre is off now!
We won’t have to wait long until a first big name. Ion Izagirre will be the eighth rider to start, a former winner of this race from 2019, and in fine form having only just won the GP Miguel Indurain.
The riders are setting off at one minute intervals, until the final 21 riders, between him will be two minutes each.
As for the biggest names – Primož Roglič is off nice and early, at 14:46, the much-hyped Paul Seixas at 15:29, and top GC contenders Juan Ayuso will be 17:15, and Isaac del Toro 17:17.
Here’s the full of start times, with home favourite Mikel Landa last off at 17:23 local time.
The first rider, Georg Zimmermann, will set off in about ten minutes, at 14:20 local time.
Not today, however – the race will begin with an Individual Time Trial.
This race is all about climbers and puncheurs, held in terrain with barely a flat stretch of road and steep hills lying around seemingly every corner.
After the thrills and spills of the Tour of Flanders yesterday, it’s time for something very different before the classics resume with Paris-Roubaix. The World Tour continues, but away from the cobbled bergs of Flanders, and instead inside another of cycling’s heartlands – the Basque Country.
Hello and welcome to stage one of the 2026 Itzulia Basque Country!
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