2025 Itzulia Basque Country Stage 4 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 4 of the 2025 Itzulia Basque Country! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
Course Preview
Stage 4 of the Tour of the Basque Country takes the riders on a 169.6- kilometre journey from Beasain to Markina- Xemein. The route incorporates over 2, 800 metres of climbing. The finale features a 3. 5- kilometre ascent at 10.6%, followed by a 10- kilometre descent to the finish line.
The road rises from the start, although at shallow gradients. After a descent, the first official climb begins at kilometre 35. It' s a gentle warm- up of 9.7 kilometres at 3.8%.
A relatively calm phase follows before the riders enter the heart of the race, with four climbs packed into just 36. 6 kilometres. The climbs are 2. 9 kilometres at 7.3%, 2 kilometres at 4.3%, 2.6 kilometres at 6.5%, and 3.4 kilometres at 7.6%. More than 70 kilometres remain at the summit of the last one.
The section starts with a descent, followed by roughly 50 kilometres of relative calm. The only ones paying close attention at this point will be those eyeing the KOM jersey, as the Milloi climb — 3.5 kilometres at 4% — features in this segment. For everyone else, all focus is on the main challenge of the day: the Izua.
The Izua is not only the final and toughest climb of the day, but it' s also the most well- known. It largely overlaps with the often- used summit finish to the Arrate Sanctuary. However, instead of heading straight to the Sanctuary, the riders will now turn left. This version of the climb measures 3.5 kilometres at a brutal 10.6% average gradient. The steepest section, which kicks in after 2.5 kilometers, ramps up to an eye-watering 13.4% over the next 2 kilometers.
Last year, the Tour of the Basque Country was decided on the Izua. Juan Ayuso and Carlos RodrĂguez crested the summit together before rolling to the finish side by side — Ayuso securing the overall win and RodrĂguez taking the stage victory. This time, however, the finish line is much closer. From the top of the Izua, it' s just 11 kilometres to Markina- Xemein.
The first half of this run- in is a proper descent, while the second half is more of a gradual downhill false flat.
The first three riders across the line earn 10, 6, and 4 bonus seconds, while the intermediate sprints offer 3, 2, and 1 seconds.
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