PREVIEW | Itzulia Basque Country 2025 stage 6 - Big gaps expected but will João Almeida survive the queen stage?
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 6.
The queen stage in the Basque Country is always a day to fear unless you're an extremely talented climber. 3600 meters of climbing in 154 kilometers starting and finishing in the town of Eibar, with some very difficult climbs spread all throughout the day. It's one purely for the climbers, where the key attacks can come on several moments of the day.
Stage 6: Eibar - Eibar, 154.1 kilometers
Truly a gruesome day of racing. The climbs, mostly, are known to those who participate in this race but it won't make them any easier:
Ekorrieta: 2.5Km; 6.2%; 140Km to go
Azurki: 5.1Km; 7.4%; 129Km to go
Krabelin: 5Km; 9.4%; 107Km to go
Trabakua: 3.3Km; 6.8%; 85Km to go
Karabieta: 6.5Km; 6.5%; 65Km to go
Krabelin is the hardest climb of the day, and it's quite possible that some riders will try to raid the race in there, but the climb where it's most likely that there will be big attacks is Izua which comes with a manageable 38 kilometers to go. It's just over 4 kilometers long but the final 3 average 10%, it's steep and long enough for the pure climbers to really make a difference. However the climbing doesn't end there.
The ascent to Trabakua is ridden once again, now finishing with 18 kilometers to go, followed by two small ascents... The climbing truly never ends on a day like this, as even after the final categorized ascent there are still three serious ones to tackle.
The last of which is the 'variante' ascent, on a wide highway area, only 500 meters long but it averages 10% and comes with 5 kilometers to go at the end of a brutal day. The finale itself won't be downhill but rather rolling, with small downhill or uphill gradients all the way into the finish line in Eibar.
The Weather
Map Itzulia Basque Country 2025 stage 6
Prediction Itzulia Basque Country 2025 stage 6:
*** João Almeida, Florian Lipowitz, Enric Mas
** Mattias Skjelmose, Ben Healy, Clément Champoussin
* Ilan van Wilder, Santiago Buitrago, Alex Aranburu, Romain Gregoire, Harold Tejada, Oscar Onley, Axel Laurance, Wilco Kelderman, Clément Berthet, Steff Cras, Guillaume Martin
** Mattias Skjelmose, Ben Healy, Clément Champoussin
* Ilan van Wilder, Santiago Buitrago, Alex Aranburu, Romain Gregoire, Harold Tejada, Oscar Onley, Axel Laurance, Wilco Kelderman, Clément Berthet, Steff Cras, Guillaume Martin
Pick: Santiago Buitrago
How: Breakaway win
Original: Rúben Silva
Read also
🔝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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