PREVIEW | Itzulia Basque Country 2023 stage 3 - Peloton faces 24% final sprint in explosive stage that will open GC fight
Cycling
Preview. After two tricky stages that came down to reduced group sprints, stage 3 of the Itzulia Basque Country will be a very different affair. In fact the complete opposite, as the riders just completed a downhill finish, and this time around they face a 24% ramp to the line.
Stage 3 will be a traditional Basque day, packed with short and steep climbs. Many of them uncategorized, but the second half of the stage has plenty of them in quick succession. It's a classic Basque day, packed with excruciatingly steep climbs which should be packed with fans and riders on their limit. It's a return to a part of cycling that is not as common currently - which is a good way to term this year's edition.
Estimated start and time times for Stage 3: 14:40 - 18:30CET
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Stage 3: Errenteria - Villabona, 154.5 kilometers
The day has five categorized climbs, but interestingly the toughest is not one of them. There are ten climbs within the last two thirds of the stage, which does not feature the same rompe-piernas terrain of previous days, but instead it is very clear where the riders need to be in front and to push themselves.
The final 15 kilometers alone have four climb: 1.5Km at 9.7%; 1Km at 10%; 700 meters at 8.8% and the hilltop in which the stage ends with which is 1.1 kilometers at 9.4%. This is where the stage will be decided. Each ascent is an opportunity to attack and there is a very short restbite between all of them. The gradients will be high consistently, however I argue that most riders will decide to wait for the final climb because of the mammoth task they'll have at hand.
Something we do not see everyday. The finale into Amasa-Villabona is 1.1 kilometers at 9.4% but the basic stats hide a big secret. The final meters of this stage take place in a recently paved road where the gradients go up to a whole 24%. It's a straight line ramp at over 20% directly into the finish line, an insanely hard finale which will see many tumble or put a foot down after the line no doubt. The overall classification will be played here, and a very dramatic finish is likely.
Stage 3 Finale
The Weather
Map Itzulia Basque Country 2023 stage 3
A small breeze from the north, but something relatively irrelevant in the big picture of the day.
The Favourites
This is a day for the GC to open up, no doubt. It'll be a very interesting mix of riders in the fight for the victory if it doesn't come down to a breakaway, and there will be plenty of contenders - and no true man to beat. All will be looking for every single second. On a sharp steep finish like this you will have riders who will be favoured such as lightweight explosive figures such as David Gaudu and Sergio Higuita.
Jonas Vingegaard and Enric Mas prefer the long climbs but could well take a victory in this terrain too, lacking the most explosive riders in the peloton in the Basque Country. Man in form Ion Izagirre has also recently put on a brilliant display in a similar finale at the GP Miguel Indurain to take the win. Simon Yates, Mikel Landa, Mattias Skjelmose, Richard Carapaz, Rigoberto Uran and Brandon McNulty will all be towards the front and looking to perform as best as possible. Above all this is a day for the riders to find out who is truly in the fight for the win and who won't be contesting the GC, and could be rather conservative.
Daniel Martínez lost time on the road today late on as did Marc Soler due to a crash. The dangerous finale has seen it's consequences and some riders already have to take back time. Outside of these, the day could see puncheurs in the battle, although nowadays the climbers frequently take over the reigns even in this kind of short punchy finishes.
Soudal - Quickstep duo Mauro Schmid and Andrea Bagioli will be looking out for opportunities. Movistar could be working for Enric Mas but if the race is rather consolidated there could be an opportunity for both Alex Aranburu and Gonzalo Serrano. Rui Costa and Quinten Hermans will also be outsiders for such a stage, specially if they have their best legs.
Prediction Itzulia Basque Country 2023 stage 3:
*** David Gaudu, Jonas Vingegaard, Enric Mas
** Sergio Higuita, Ion Izagirre, Simon Yates
* Mikel Landa, Mattias Skjelmose, Richard Carapaz, Rigoberto Uran, Daniel Martínez, Mauro Schmid
** Sergio Higuita, Ion Izagirre, Simon Yates
* Mikel Landa, Mattias Skjelmose, Richard Carapaz, Rigoberto Uran, Daniel Martínez, Mauro Schmid
Pick: Jonas Vingegaard
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling forRafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
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2nd STAGE WINNER 🥇 Segunda etapa para @IdeSchelling | @BORAhansgrohe 🥳 ZORIONAK IDE! 👏 🏆 @bancosabadell 📸 @sprintcycling #Itzulia2023
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