Tour of the Basque Country
The Tour of the Basque Country (Officially: Itzulia Basque Country, Spanish: Vuelta al País Vasco, Basque: Euskal Herriko Itzulia) is an annual cycling stage race held in the Spanish Basque Country in April. It is one of the races that make up the UCI World Tour calendar. As the Basque Country is a mountainous area, there are few flat stages, and thus the event favors those who are strong climbers. The race is characterized by its short stages, rarely exceeding 200 km, and steep ascents. While the ascents featured in the race aren't particularly high compared to other stage races, they are among the steepest seen in professional cycling, some having sections with gradients reaching well above 20%.[1]
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| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | Early-April |
| Region | Spanish Basque Country |
| English name | Tour of the Basque Country |
| Local name(s) |
|
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI World Tour |
| Type | Stage race |
| Web site | www |
| History | |
| First edition | 1924 |
| Editions | 59 (as of 2019) |
| First winner |  Francis Pélissier (FRA) |
| Most wins |
|
| Most recent |  Ion Izagirre (ESP) |
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History
The original Tour of the Basque Country had a troubled history, with 8 editions contested between 1924 and 1935, before the civil war seemingly wiped it out for good. It is mentioned and described in Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises.
In 1952, the Eibar Cycling Club (erstwhile backers of Spain's first national stage race, the pre-Vuelta a España Gran Premio República) launched a new 3-day event called Gran Premio de la Bicicleta Eibarresa to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Former French national champion Louis Caput took the inaugural edition.
In 1969, organizers opted to promote the race (by then 5 stages long) as IX Vuelta al País Vasco - XVIII Bicicleta Eibarresa, effectively merging the Bicicleta Eibarresa into a reborn Tour of the Basque Country. However, the palmares of the Bicicleta Eibarresa (featuring Vuelta a España winners Jesús Loroño and Rolf Wolfshohl) is not recognized as part of the Tour of the Basque Country's history. The Eibar Cycling Club would relinquish control of the competition following the 1973 edition, while retaining the rights to the Bicicleta Eibarresa name, which has sporadically been reactivated to help promote other, lower ranked events.
The first winner of the Tour of the Basque Country was Francis Pélissier from France, while the first winner of the 'modern' Tour (1969) was Jacques Anquetil, also of France. The most successful riders in the history of the Tour are Spain's José Antonio González, who won the race four times in 1972, 1975, 1977 and 1978, and Spain's Alberto Contador, who also won the race four times in 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2016. Since its revival in 1969, it has been held every year with the exception of during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The winner traditionally dons a basque beret on the podium.
Winners
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Multiple winners
| Wins | Rider | Editions |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | José Antonio González (ESP) | 1972, 1975, 1977, 1978 |
| Alberto Contador (ESP) | 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016 | |
| 3 |  Sean Kelly (IRL) | 1984, 1986, 1987 |
 Tony Rominger (SUI) | 1992, 1993, 1994 | |
| 2 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Maurice Dewaele (BEL) | 1928, 1929 |
| Luis Ocaña (ESP) | 1971, 1973 | |
| Julián Gorospe (ESP) | 1983, 1990 | |
| Alex Zülle (SUI) | 1995, 1997 | |
 Andreas Klöden (GER) | 2000, 2011 |
Most stage wins
| # | Rider | Stage wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Domingo Perurena (ESP) |
11 |
| Seán Kelly (IRL) |
11 | |
| 3 | Laurent Jalabert (FRA) |
9 |
| 4 | Tony Rominger (SUI) |
8 |
| Samuel Sánchez (ESP) |
8 | |
| 6 | Alberto Contador (ESP) |
7 |
| 7 | Miguel María Lasa (ESP) |
6 |
| Joaquim Rodriguez (ESP) |
6 | |
| Alejandro Valverde (ESP) |
6 | |
| 9 | José Antonio González Linares (ESP) |
5 |
 Stefano Zanini (ITA) |
5 |
References
- Middendorp, Koen. "Voorbeschouwing: Ronde van Het Baskenland 2019". Wieleflirts. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vuelta al País Vasco. |
- Official website (in Spanish)
- Tour of the Basque Country palmares at Cycling Archives