2026 Itzulia Basque Country route revealed: Built for toughness and consistency

The route for the 2026 Itzulia Basque Country has been revealed, and will feature six stages across a total distance of 809.6km with 16,154 metres of accumulated elevation gain, and 29 categorised climbs.

The race kicks off with a short individual time trial for the third consecutive year, this time in the city of Bilbao. The route is 13.9km in length and will test the riders from the get-go with a 2.4km ascent to Santo Domingo, averaging 7.3%. This is where the climbers will look to capitalise as the remainder of the route favours the specialists before a steep kicker to the finish line, where gradients reach up to 19%, and the first wearer of the yellow jersey will be decided.

Stages 2 and 3 are both described as difficult, but the race organisers have suggested that they could suit the breakaway rather than an all-out GC battle. Stage 2 begins in Pamplona and concludes 164.1km later in Cuevas de Mendukilo after covering 3,300 metres of elevation gain. Meanwhile, stage 3 takes place in and around Basauri, with a circuit-style route covering 152.8km with 2,900 metres of elevation gain.

Stage 4 presents another route that features over 3,000 metres of elevation gain, across 167.2km around Galdakao with seven categorised climbs in total. The stage ends with an uphill rise to the line, which could make for an explosive finish.

Stage 5 is both the queen stage and the longest of the 2026 Itzulia Basque Country at 176.2km in length. Taking place in and around Eibar, the stage features eight categorised climbs and a total of 3,841 metres of elevation gain. 

The stage is designed for aggressive racing, and the final categorised climb will be crested with little over 10km to the finish line. This is a day that the GC contenders will have highlighted in their calendars as being a crucial stage in the fight for the yellow jersey.

The race concludes with another difficult stage that will shake up the GC and decide the final outcome. It’s the shortest road stage of the race at 135.2km, but it is unlikely to see the least amount of action across six categorised climbs that help make up nearly 3,000 metres of elevation gain.

João Almeida is the defending champion after winning two stages and the yellow jersey in 2025 by a convincing margin of 1:52 over Enric Mas, with Maximillian Schachmann in third at 1:59.

Among those who are expected to start the 2026 edition, which kicks off on April 6, are Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek), and Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).