01/04/2024

Itzulia Basque Country: Primoz Roglic wins despite missing corner; Vine and Skjelmose on the podium as Evenepoel crashes and Vingegaard sheds time

The opening time-trial of Itzulia Basque Country has been incredibly eventful. With a luxurious startlist we've seen many of the Tour de France contenders in action, with Primoz Roglic being the best out of everyone. The Slovenian won the first time as a BORA - hansgrohe rider, gaining time on Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard on stage 1.

It was a time-trial where most of the action happened before the broadcast, as the big GC riders looked to avoid the looming dark clouds. Juan Ayuso took an early lead in the race, and Primoz Roglic showed up a few minutes after. The Slovenian missed the final corner completely, but arrived at the finish with a sizeable lead.

Prize Money Itzulia Basque Country 2024 with €99.000 available

The big surprise was when Jonas Vingegaard arrived at the finish, as even with Roglic's mishap, the defending champion lost 15 seconds to him. Remco Evenepoel then began his effort and crashed right in the first corner. He still arrived at the finish only 11 seconds down on Roglic.

Mattias Skjelmose arrived shortly after and lost 10 seconds behind Roglic, taking time on both Evenepoel and Vingegaard. The likes of Kévin Vauquelin, Max Schachmann and Ethan Hayter arrived before the rain making strong times into the Top10, whilst Jay Vine was the true performer, finishing second on the day only 7 seconds behind Roglic.