Preview: Itzulia Basque Country. Star-studded set of climbers in search of glory in the brutal Basque hills

Itzulia Basque Country will take place from thr 4th to the 9th of April and will see some of the world'd best climbers and puncheurs in action. Being in a crucial point of the spring for the stage-racers, but also right before the Ardennes classics, there is a wide variety of riders licking their lips at the opportunities the hard racing provides.

The race starts off with a prologue in Hondarribia which will open things up in the overall classification. Stage two will be the only possible opportunity for a sprint, but also a breakaway.

All remaining stages can be crucial for the overall classification. Stages three, four and five will see steep climbs spread throughout the days which are all launchpads to open the race up, and each day can be a make or break for very rider's ambitions. The final day will see the peloton go through the Alto de Arrate twice, through different sides in what is the queen stage.

The preliminary startlist will see the likes of Primoz Roglic, Jonas Vingegaard, Sepp Kuss, Pello Bilbao, Gino Mäder, Alessandro Covi, George Bennett, Rafal Majka, Diego Ulissi, Marc Soler, Julian Alaphilippe, Remco Evenepoel, Enric Mas, Tap Geoghegan Hart, Daniel Martínez, Carlos Rodríguez, Geraint Thomas, Adam Yates, Ion Izagirre, Emanuel Buchmann, Sergio Higuita, Lennard Kämna, Aleksandr Vlasov, Pierre Latour, Cristian Rodríguez, Quinten Hermans, Aurélien Paret-Peintre, Clément Champoussin, Michael Woods, David Gaudu, Rigoberto Urán, Ruben Guerreiro and Mark Padun.

You will be able to keep up with the race here on CyclingUpToDate as we bring you race reports and interviews on a daily basis.