The ITT Worlds bronze medalist is fifth on the general classification after the opening day.
Sixth overall last year at the most important Basque race, Ilan Van Wilder returned at the start of this 65th edition, which got underway with an individual time trial in Bilbao. The course was identical to the one of 2021, held without fans due to the pandemic: a longer climb which the riders tackled as soon as they left the ramp, and another one just before the finish, shorter, but featuring punishing double-digit gradients reaching 19%.
Ilan, who came here having previously completed the UAE Tour and Paris-Nice this season, had ambitions for the 13.8km ITT, and didn’t disappoint. The 26-year-old found his rhythm immediately and navigated the time trial handsomely, which helped him put together a really nice time trial.
Bronze medalist at the ITT World Championships last year, Van Wilder stopped the clock in 17:38 thanks to an average speed of 46.95km/h, which put him in fifth place on this stage won by Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM), making him the highest-ranked Soudal Quick-Step rider in the GC.
It was a demanding time trial and I’m happy with what I achieved.
“You needed a strong start and then a good downhill; then, it was important to maintain the speed towards the final climb, where I did an all-out effort. I’m satisfied with how things went and with the feeling I had today. It’s just the opening stage, but we take a lot of confidence from this and we’ll try to score some more good results in the coming days, as we have a team capable of this”, Ilan said at the finish in Bilbao.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
