"It is what it is" - Igor Arrieta after narrowly missing an epic win at Itzulia Basque Country

Stage 3 of the Itzulia Basque Country 2026 delivered a heavy blow to UAE Team Emirates - XRG, with Isaac del Toro forced to abandon after a crash. Amid that setback, the team found cause for optimism in the outstanding ride of Igor Arrieta, the day’s leading protagonist and runner-up at the finish after a demanding duel with Axel Laurance.

Arrieta was one of the main animators from the early break, and his ambition put him in the decisive move that would contest the win. In the finale, he went toe-to-toe with Laurance, in an extreme test both physically and tactically, where at times he even seemed to toy with the timing to try to surprise his rival.

On that intense final tussle, the rider himself said it all came down to accumulated fatigue and the effort required, acknowledging it was “an incredible fight against Axel” and that, in those last moments, everything depended on what he felt on the bike.

He described it as “a really hard day” and kept in mind that his breakaway companion was “very, very, very much the favourite for today’s stage,” so his plan was to go all-in from afar, get in the move, and empty himself to the limit.

Knowing a sprint finish did not suit him, Arrieta chose a bold strategy, trying to harden the race with every turn. He said he tried to pull “as much as possible,” aware Laurance was faster at the line, accepting the situation with a calm “it is what it is,” and stressing he had done everything in his power before congratulating his rival on the win.

As for a specific tactic to shake him off, Arrieta made it clear there was little scope for invention, and that the key was to keep constant pressure. He explained that, when they were together, the only option was “to keep pushing as hard as possible” and, with the finish in mind, try to save as much as he could to have a chance in the sprint, noting he tried to “save as much as I could to try to win the sprint.”