PREVIEW | Itzulia Basque Country 2025 stage 2 - Will Caleb Ewan take his first World Tour win with INEOS?

From the 7th to the 12th of April, the peloton will take on Itzulia Basque Country; a race that is well known for it's course designed for climbers and puncheurs in a region full of cycling history. We preview stage 2.

Stage 2 is the one day where the sprinters can happily say that they will have a clear opportunity to win. Don't be mistaken, it's not a traditional flat day, but the climbs won't be too dramatic and a bunch sprint seems relatively inevitable going into Lodosa after 197 kilometers.

There will be 1600 meters of climbing over the day, not too much, and the final climb summits with 17 kilometers to go, being around 2 kilometers at 4%. No-one who wants to fight for the stage win will get dropped in such gradients, and a bunch sprint is then likely.

It won't be a simple one, with a roundabout coming with 2.3 kilometers to go which leads to a downhill section where the speeds will be very high. With 1.2 to go they reach the riverside and from here on out it's a flat finale, with a slight right-hander with around 300 meters to go.

No meaningful wind on the day, and nice sunny temperatures.

Caleb Ewan - The truth is this race has perhaps the most modest sprinter startlist out of any World Tour stage-race I've ever seen. No top sprinters at the start and honestly, only three rider who I actuallyy consider to be sprinters at all. Althought five out of the six stages are either a time-trial or hilly, there was still one day of racing here where a sprint feels inevitable, and there is a World Tour win up for grabs. It's actually quite absurd to think that so few fast men are here, specially when looking at some smaller teams who rarely have any chance of winning a single World Tour event throughout the year, and could've actually brought a victory contender to a race such as this.

In the end we are left with Caleb Ewan as the main favourite, although he only started his season a couple weeks ago and does not have a proven leadout. The Pocket Rocket was close to retiring just a few months ago but INEOS provided him with a new opportunity, and honestly a good calendar selection as well. He hasn't won at the top category of cycling for over three years but he just might break the ice.

The other pure sprinters that will be here at the start are Jon Aberasturi of Euskaltel and Iuri Leitão of Caja Rural. Not top sprinters, but in this field they legitimately have a chance of taking a win and actually are amongst the top favourites, they have the pure speed. What follows is a group of puncheurs, or riders who aren't sprinters but can sprint and with a peloton like this they will certainly give it a shot.

Thibau Nys and Axel Zingle are actually very explosive and if they are in the right place at the right time, I wouldn't say that a victory is impossible - it's quite the opposite. Alex Aranburu, Ethan Hayter, Anders Foldager, Ide Schelling, Pau Miquel and BORA duo Roger Adrià and Maxim van Gils could also potentially finish amongst the first.

*** Caleb Ewan
** Axel Zingle, Iuri Leitão
* Thibau Nys, Alex Aranburu, Roger Adrià, Jon Aberasturi, Ethan Hayter, Anders Foldager, Ide Schelling, Pau Miquel

Pick: Caleb Ewan

How: Regular bunch sprint