Steff Cras and Mauri Vansevenant did their best again in the breakaway, but the bunch prevailed in the end on the penultimate day.
Deemed the queen stage of this year’s edition, the fifth leg of Itzulia Basque Country had everything: eight ranked climbs – many of them boasting some incredibly steep gradients – almost 4000 vertical meters, and some technical descents. This made for a selective day of racing, one that widened the gaps between the general classification contenders.
Once again, there was a huge interest in making it in the breakaway, and after more than 50 kilometers, a sizable group managed to get away. Just like Thursday, Steff Cras and Mauri Vansevenant were in the front group for Soudal Quick-Step, helping the breakaway establish a four-minute margin. Initially, it appeared they would succeed, but a rapid increase of pace in the peloton led to the group being overhauled more than 50 kilometers from the finish.
Vansevenant did his best, making it into one of the numerous chasing groups, and once again finished the stage – won by Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) – as the highest-ranked rider of our team, moving up a place in the overall standings.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
