GP Miguel Indurain 2026 | Who succeeds Thibau Nys in explosive finale?

In this article:

2025 Thibau Nys
2024 Brandon McNulty
2023 Ion Izagirre
2022 Warren Barguil

This year’s GP Miguel Indurain features an almost identical route to the one used in 2025. Over 203.9 kilometers, the riders will cover a total of 3,431 vertical meters, with both the start and finish in Estella-Lizarra, not far from Villava, the home region of former champion Miguel Indurain. Judging by last year’s top ten, the route once again looks tailor-made for punchers.

The opening loop measures 58 kilometers and does not include any categorized climbs. Even so, the road is constantly rolling, and after the riders pass the finish line for the first time, they turn left toward Legaria. That larger loop contains the first ascent of the Eraul: 3.9 kilometers at an average gradient of 5.3 percent. It is the first taste of the finale, which follows the same roads toward the finish. After the summit of the Eraul climb, there is still a tricky uphill drag to come on the uncategorized Alto de Muru, 1.6 kilometers at 4 percent.

Before returning to the Eraul for the decisive phase, the race first heads out on a third large loop to the northeast. There, the riders tackle the Alto Guirguillano, 2.8 kilometers at 5.7 percent, and the Alto de Lezaun, 3.9 kilometers at 5.5 percent. Neither climb has a brutal average gradient, but both feature very steep ramps and an irregular rhythm. After the Lezaun, the peloton descends to pass the finish for the third time before taking on one final smaller loop over the Alto de Eraul. After that final ascent, there are still two steep ramps left. That was where Nys made his winning move last year.

Weather:
It looks set to be a pleasant day for racing in northern Spain. Conditions are expected to stay dry, while the peloton can count on temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius. Weather should not be a decisive factor.

Times:
Start: 12:00 PM local time
Finish: around 5:05 PM local time

With Thibau Nys absent, the GP Miguel Indurain is guaranteed to crown a new winner. Lidl-Trek, Nys’ team, will try to defend the title with the likes of Quinn Simmons, Andrea Bagioli, who finished third last year, and young Héctor Álvarez. This time, however, they do not appear to have the standout pre-race favorite in their ranks.

For that status, attention turns in part to the very strong XDS Astana squad. Christian Scaroni gives them an excellent spearhead, but behind him they also have Clément Champoussin, Simone Velasco, Diego Ulissi, Harold Tejada and Sergio Higuita, almost an entire team well suited to a course like this. The same can be said of Movistar, who can play several cards with Roger Adrià, Javier Romo, Raúl García Pierna and Natnael Tesfatsion. Scaroni’s profile on IDL and his recent trajectory only strengthen the sense that he arrives as one of the main men to beat.

Normally, Marc Hirschi would also be a serious candidate for victory here. The Tudor rider has a route that suits him, but he has not yet shown the level expected of him this season. That is not true of Alex Aranburu, who has not finished outside the top twenty on a single race day this year according to the Dutch preview. The Spaniard already showed in 2025 that he can handle this route with a fifth-place finish, and he is once again a rider to keep firmly in mind. Cofidis, meanwhile, can also rely on former winner Ion Izagirre.

Further down the list, Bahrain Victorious bring an interesting duo in Antonio Tiberi and Pello Bilbao, while Ben Healy is another eye-catching name on the start list. EF Education-EasyPost also have Alex Baudin in reserve. UAE will hope for another big ride from Marc Soler, while NSN look to Brady Gilmore to survive the climbs. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe line up Finn Fisher-Black, although his recent results have been underwhelming.

Dutch hopes rest with a Spanish ProTeam. Alex Molenaar impressed with second place last year and is once again on the start list for Caja Rural-Seguros RGA. Meanwhile, Lotto-Intermarché see Lennert Van Eetvelt return to racing after abandoning Tirreno-Adriatico in March, and the Belgian squad also have German champion Georg Zimmermann available.

Top favorite: Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana)
Outsiders: Andrea Bagioli (Lidl-Trek), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) and Alex Aranburu (Cofidis)
Long shots: Marc Hirschi (Tudor), Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost), Clement Champousin, Diego Ulissi (Both XDS Astana), Natnael Tesfatsion (Movistar), Marc Soler (UAE), Alex Molenaar (Caja Rural - Seguros RG), Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Intermarché) and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious)

The race will be broadcast live on Saturday from 3:30 p.m. on Eurosport, and online via HBO Max. The race is scheduled for Saturday, April 4, 2026, on the men’s elite calendar.