2024 Itzulia Basque Country Stage 3 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 3 of the 2024 Itzulia Basque Country! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
Course Preview
The longest stage of the Itzulia Basque Country is 190.9 kilometres. While the elevation gain exceeds 3,000 metres, the race features six climbs, but the last 18 kilometres are played out on the flat.
Climbing commences from the start on the Itsondo, an 8.2 kilometres toil with an average gradient of 5.7%. It’s a hard way to begin the day, and the riders will wish for the breakaway to be formed at the first summit.
The route descends onto a flat phase, and after almost 50 kilometres in the saddle, the Usategieta Gaina presents a long, but relatively easy test – 11.2 kilometres at 3.2%. The descent is short, and then it goes straight back up again on the 4.7-kilometer climb at 6.9% to Uitzi. The downhill goes to Lekunberri, where Rui Costa won a Vuelta stage last year. The Portuguese emerged victorious after the descent from the Zuarrarate, which is now the next climb – 6.8 kilometres long and averaging 3.6%.
The Itzulia Basque Country descends to the valley of the Arakil and follows the river for tens of kilometres. After crossing the line for the first time with 67 kilometres to go, the riders cross from Navarra into the Basque Country and fly down a 19-kilometre descent to Ihurre, at the base of the short haul up to Olaberria—1.6 kilometres at 7.5%.
A short drop leads onto a prolonged false flat, which culminates in the 6.4-kilometre ascent at 4.7% up the Lizarrusti. There are still 18.4 kilometres left to race at the summit. This section starts out with a downhill at moderate gradients and then continues on the flat to the intermediate sprint in Etxarri Aranatz and, ultimately, the finish line in Altsasu.
The first three riders on the line gain times bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while both intermediate sprints come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
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