The fifth stage of the Vuelta a Espana will traverse the Basque Country
close to the sea. A hilly day, and a traditional finale in Bilbao which will
make for an interesting and very open day early in the race. There will be 3000
meters of climbing, it will be no easy day for anyone, with a lot of small
ascents in the first half, and the main climbs of the day late on.
With 92, 84 and 62 kilometers to go there will be some hilltops, nothing
too big however, but it will warm up things and build up some fatigue which
will not favour the riders looking to survive and bet on a sprint late in the
day. The race will reach the outskirts of Bilbao however and go on a double
ascent of one of it’s most famous climbs.
Click here to create your own team for the Fantasy Vuelta a
España stage 5. At least 500 Euro in prizes!
Stage 5: Irún - Bilbao, 187.2Km
It will be the Alto del Vivero. Will be summited twice, with 43.8 and
13.8 kilometers to go. 4.5Km at 7.9%, with ramps going up as high as 13%
through it. It’s a short and sharp climb, hard enough for the GC riders to make
moves, but also “gentle” enough for some faster riders to go through the summit
close to the front, depending on how the race goes.
There will be bonus seconds at the summit of the final passage however
which is likely to stir things up. If any rider manages to get away it will be
very hard to bring back, as the following descent will be quite fast and leave
the riders with just two kilometers to go. The sprint will then be flat, on
urban roads, without too much difficulty as there are no expectations of a
large group fighting for the win.
Alto del Vivero: 4.5Km; 7.9% average gradient; 44 & 14Km to go
CyclingUpToDate prediction:
**** Ethan Hayter
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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- Somehow it has got into his mind that he is a GC rider. He is primarily a classics and stage rider who can perform on GC given his day. As a result he is wasting his time on TDF GC and once committed to GC you are too tired to do anything else.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- 🐐❤️Lozza09-11-2026
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- Tis beyond your comprehension fine sir so best not to look on with blind eyes to THE GOATS greatness.
Brucegel09-11-2026 - McNulty winning was beneficial in ensuring the rainbow jersey would not remain winless
Front24209-11-2026 - Eccelente! That's 7 riders in total in Red Bull who come from the devo team, 8 if you include Lipo
Rafionain-Glas09-11-2026 - again, nothing is going to be resolved. it is a discussion board. I simply said I didn't see how MS impeded LBs sprint. the UCI doesn't care about my thoughts, and I am really not that emotionally invested in it.mij09-11-2026
- provoke change, lol. this is a discussion board. nothing is going to change by what I say here. just commenting that it didn't look like MS impeded Brand. beyond that not trying to go too deep.mij09-11-2026
- as excellent as maga rednecks chloe dygert (and quinn simmons)?Ketterechts09-11-2026
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