2026 Itzulia Basque Country Stage 4 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 4 of the 2026 Itzulia Basque Country! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
Course Preview
Eight climbs are on the menu on the Tour of the Basque Country stage from and to Galdakao, a suburb of Bilbao.. Covering 167.2 kilometres and featuring 3,137 metres of climbing, the course is a dream for punchers, with the final kilometre rising at 9% to the line.
The race opens with a 70-kilometre loop that takes the riders all the way to the Bay of Biscay. This section features five climbs, the fitst of which appears early on: Aretxabalgane, a 4.6-kilometre ascent averaging 5.4%. After a period of relative calm, the San Pelaio adds 5.6 kilometres at 4.4% to the mix. Immediately after the descent, the Jata also makes its mark, rising for 4.6 kilometres at 5.8%. At the summit, the riders have covered nearly 60 kilometres.
Via the Unbe (2.3 kilometres at 7%) and the uncategorised Santa Domingo (7 kilometres at 3.4%, with a much steeper first half) the riders return to the start town. There they get a taste of the finishing kilometre, which ramps up at 9%.
After crossing the finish line, the road continues to rise for some time on the Elorritxueta (also known as El Vivero). The first 4 kilometres are the steepest at 7.4%, but the sprint for the KOM points comes 3.9 kilometres later, making the Elorritxueta officially a 7.9-kilometre climb at 4.6%. There are still 60 kilometres remaining at the summit.
After the descent and a flat section, the riders tackle the Elorritxueta once again, but this time from the opposite side, making it a 4.3-kilometre ascent averaging 8.1%. After the summit they initially follow the same road as before, first downhill and then on the flat, before turning right to tackle the punchy Legina. The 3.2-kilometre climb at 7.7% tops out with 8.8 kilometres remaining.
Following the descent and 3 kilometres of flat roads, the finishing kilometre — as mentioned — rises at 9%.
The first three riders across the line gain 10, 6, and 4 bonus seconds, while the intermediate sprints offer 6, 4, and 2 seconds.
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