Mikel Landa confirmed for Itzulia Basque Country return as he prepares Giro d'Italia GC tilt

Itzulia Basque Country 2026 readies for another fierce, spectacular edition, and Soudal - Quick-Step will line up with a solid squad led by Mikel Landa, who targets with ambition one of the calendar’s most special races.

The Basque race, now in its 65th edition, offers six days of demanding racing: 29 categorised climbs, relentless up-and-down terrain, and a route starting in Bilbao and finishing in Bergara. Considered one of the toughest events on the WorldTour, it was even mentioned by Ernest Hemingway in his renowned novel The Sun Also Rises.

The race opens with a 13.9 km individual time trial in Bilbao, which could already create meaningful gaps among the favourites. The course features a 2.6 km climb from the gun and a punchy final ramp with gradients up to 19%.

From there, the mountains take over: stages with more than 3,000 metres of elevation gain, explosive finales such as Mendukilo, days suited to breakaways, and a brutal showdown in Eibar with up to eight climbs before the final resolution in Bergara.

Twice runner-up overall, Mikel Landa returns to his home race aiming to fight again for the podium places. The Basque rider will be supported by a balanced team that blends climbers, rouleurs and time trial specialists.

He will be joined by Ayco Bastiaens, Steff Cras, British time trial champion Ethan Hayter, Martin Svrcek, Ilan Van Wilder and Mauri Vansevenant. Van Wilder will act as a co-leader in the race, aiming for his own GC ambitions in terrain that favours him whilst the initial time trial will see him as a favourite.

On the eve of the race, sports director Kevin Hulsmans highlighted the quality of the selected group and the extra motivation that racing at home provides for Landa.

He explained they have chosen “a strong and well-balanced team for this race,” and stressed that competing on his home roads will give Landa and the rest of the team “an extra boost of motivation.”

Hulsmans also analysed how the race could unfold and the team’s tactical options, placing special emphasis on the opening time trial and the squad’s depth.

He noted that with the inaugural time trial, riders like Ethan Hayter and Ilan Van Wilder have “a great opportunity to take a strong result and position themselves well on GC.” He added that as the race moves into tougher stages, the team is confident it has “the depth and strength to fight both for stage wins and a good overall,” aiming to stay competitive all week and seize every opportunity.