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Follow us on GoogleWelcome to the live coverage of stage 5 of the Itzulia Basque Country! In this thread, you can follow the real-time classification as the action unfolds.
IDL Pro Cycling will be there live with the live feed from First Cycling.
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Course stage 5 Tour of the Basque Country 2025
It’s a classic Basque Country profile, constantly up and down. The first 80 kilometers are relatively tame, but halfway through the stage, things ramp up with the Aretxabalgane climb (4.6 km at 5.4%) and Errigoti (4.8 km at 4%). Don’t ask us why, but those are already the last categorized climbs of the day.
However, with 50 kilometers to go, riders still face Akorda: 2.3 kilometers at a punchy 8.6%. After a short descent, the road continues uphill for another 15 kilometers before dropping down into Forua. There, the final real test awaits: 4.9 kilometers at 6.4%, with the summit just 14 kilometers from the finish.
Most of the finale trends downhill, aside from a small uphill kick about five kilometers from the finish. That little Basque ramp pitches into double-digit gradients before the road descends again to the line.
Continue reading below the photo
Climbs
18.3 km: Las Campas (1.4 km at 8.2%)
60.0 km: Sarasola (2.9 km at 3.5%)
90.7 km: Aretxabalgane (4.6 km at 5.4%)
104.5 km: Errigoti (4.8 km at 4%)
18.3 km: Las Campas (1.4 km at 8.2%)
60.0 km: Sarasola (2.9 km at 3.5%)
90.7 km: Aretxabalgane (4.6 km at 5.4%)
104.5 km: Errigoti (4.8 km at 4%)
Times
Start: 1:11 PM (local time) | 7:11 AM (EDT)
Finish: approx. 5:30 PM (local time) | 11:30 AM (EDT)
Start: 1:11 PM (local time) | 7:11 AM (EDT)
Finish: approx. 5:30 PM (local time) | 11:30 AM (EDT)
Weather stage 5 Tour of the Basque Country 2025
22°C, dry, with a light breeze from the southeast. Weather conditions on Friday are not expected to significantly impact the race.
Favorites stage 5 Tour of the Basque Country 2025
One thing is clear: João Almeida is on fire. The Portuguese rider from UAE Team Emirates - XRG was the strongest on the climbs Thursday and once again showed he's in peak form. Now wearing the leader’s jersey, he’ll look to extend his advantage even further on Friday. His teammate Isaac Del Toro is another strong contender for stage 5, especially with his fast finishing kick.
Other general classification riders close to Almeida will be hoping to claw back time. Maximilian Schachmann (second overall) will aim to reclaim the leader’s jersey, while Florian Lipowitz (third), Ilan Van Wilder (fourth), Mattias Skjelmose (fifth), and Wilco Kelderman (sixth) will all be looking to make a move. Enric Mas, too, will want to recover some of the time he lost. The big question: will the terrain be tough enough on Friday to suit the pure climbers?
Read more below the photo!
João Almeida won the fourth stage of the Tour of the Basque Country on Thursday
On Thursday, among the general classification contenders, we saw the exceptionally strong Alex Aranburu and Clément Champoussin holding their own on the climbs with the very best. So both men will certainly have their sights set on a stage like Friday's, which is slightly less tricky than the day before.
Anyone else to watch? Romain Grégoire, for one, who climbs well and should be perfectly suited to a stage like Friday’s. The same goes for Marc Hirschi, Julian Alaphilippe, Ben Healy, Maxim Van Gils, Simone Velasco and Thibau Nys. The latter recently proved he’s started his 2025 season in great form by winning the GP Miguel Indurain just last week.
Favorites stage 5 Tour of the Basque Country 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com
Top favorites: Alex Aranburu (Cofidis) and João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates - XRG)
Outsiders: Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) and Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step)
Long shots: Clément Champoussin, Simone Velasco (both XDS-Astana), Marc Hirschi, Julian Alaphilippe (both Tudor), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek), Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Wilco Kelderman (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Outsiders: Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) and Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step)
Long shots: Clément Champoussin, Simone Velasco (both XDS-Astana), Marc Hirschi, Julian Alaphilippe (both Tudor), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek), Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Wilco Kelderman (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Follow LIVE stage 3 in the Tour of the Basque Country in our live feed
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026