Tour of the Basque Country 2025: GC Favourites

[The below text was written before the start of the Tour of the Basque Country and has not been updated]

The GC action ignites as early as the first day, as the race opens with an individual time trial. Although it’s a relatively easy flat test, time gaps will surely be opened up. Stage 2 is one for the sprinters, before stage 3 takes in an elevation gain of almost 3,200 metres, finishing with a punchy climb.

It’s a similar story on day four. On paper, the routes seem enticing for attackers, but the tables may turn when the GC contenders decide to make their move.

Stage 5 is relatively easy, but the finale could still be used by GC riders to apply pressure on their opponents. But to be frank, the most likely scenario is that the GC battle will come down to the final stage. Seven categorised climbs contribute to a total elevation gain of over 3,500 metres across a 153.6-kilometre route. Interestingly, the climbs are situated relatively far from the finish line, so early attacks are to be expected.

Two former winners are lining up at the start: Daniel Felipe Martínez (2022) and Ion Izagirre (2019).

Favourites 2025 Tour of the Basque Country

*** Mattias Skjelmose, Santiago Buitrago, Enric Mas
** Sepp Kuss, Pello Bilbao, Ben Healy, João Almeida
* Isaac del Toro, Florian Lipowitz, Daniel Felipe Martínez