PREVIEW | Itzulia Basque Country 2025 stage 3 - Ultra-steep climbs on the menu to test GC riders
Cycling
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 3.
The third day of the race will be the introduction to what Itzulia offers the most. The stage between Zarautz and Beasain will feature plenty ascents and the ones that come later in the day are extremely steep. Not necessarily a day just for the climbers, plenty riders can have a chance in such an explosive finale.
Stage 3: Zarautz - Beasain, 157 kilometers
3100 meters of climbming on the menu, however most of the climbs in the first two thirds of the race will be there to set fatigue and won't see attacks. Even the penultimate of the day, the toughest - to Gainza - is unlikely to see attacks because of the long flat stretch that follows. Nevertheless, the ascent is 2.3 kilometers long at 11% and it gets substantially steeper at the summit, so a lot of riders will go to the limit here (the climb ends with 37 kilometers to go).
The attacks should come later in the day instead, on the ascent to Lazkaomendi which is 1.4 kilometers long at 9.4%. Not as difficult but the summit comes with only 6 kilometers to the finish, and going solo over the top means an almost certain win as the descent will quickly lead the riders into town. The final 3 kilometers are still mostly flat, and so there is room for more attacks before the finish for those looking to avoid a sprint.
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Map Itzulia Basque Country 2025 stage 3
Prediction Itzulia Basque Country 2025 stage 3:
*** Thibau Nys, Marc Hirschi, Santiago Buitrago
** Andrea Bagioli, Roger Adrià, Romain Grégoire, Axel Zingle, Ben Healy
* Brandon McNulty, Axel Laurance, Mattias Skjelmose, Pello Bilbao, Alex Aranburu, Florian Lipowitz, Aleksandr Vlasov, Maxim van Gils, Oscar Onley, Max Schachmann, Clément Champoussin, Julian Alaphilippe
** Andrea Bagioli, Roger Adrià, Romain Grégoire, Axel Zingle, Ben Healy
* Brandon McNulty, Axel Laurance, Mattias Skjelmose, Pello Bilbao, Alex Aranburu, Florian Lipowitz, Aleksandr Vlasov, Maxim van Gils, Oscar Onley, Max Schachmann, Clément Champoussin, Julian Alaphilippe
Pick: Thibau Nys
How: Reduced group sprint finish
Original: Rúben Silva
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🔝2025EKO ITZULIA BASQUE COUNTRYREN KARTEL OFIZIALA 🔝
— Itzulia Basque Country (@ehitzulia) March 25, 2025
Gaur aurkeztu dugu 2025eko Itzulia Basque Countryren kartel ofiziala.
Itzuliaren 64. edizioko kartelaren egilea David de las Heras da, @david_delasheras
🔥 CARTEL OFICIAL DE LA ITZULIA BASQUE COUNTRY 2025 🔥
Hoy hemos… pic.twitter.com/gBcoLRkjzo
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)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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