Itzulia Basque Country

Maximilian Schachmann became only the third German rider this century to conclude the Itzulia Basque Country – one of the most prestigious stage races in the world – on the overall podium, capping off an excellent week that saw him take the opening stage individual time trial, as well as spending three days in the yellow jersey.

The most important race to take place in the Basque Country came to an end for the third year in a row in the city Eibar, on an up-and-down course that comprised seven classified climbs and an elevation gain of more than 3700 meters, again without the iconic Arrate, which has been removed after the organisers decided to revamp the route of the final stage. This time, the last ascent was Trabakua, but the climax of the stage came on Izua, the gruelling climb that featured around 40 kilometers from the finish, and where the big attacks were launched by the general classification contenders.

Both Maximilian Schachmann and Ilan Van Wilder got distanced there, but fought hard to limit the damage, and after being joined by their Soudal Quick-Step teammates Gianmarco Garofoli and Mauri Vansevenant on the wet descent, they began trading pulls at the front to reduce the gap to the yellow jersey group. The climbing continued in the final hour of the race, and this rugged territory made for another breathtaking chase, one that concluded in Eibar with the victory of Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates).

The incredible effort put in by our riders helped Schachmann successfully defend his place in the standings, thus sealing a remarkable third in the Basque Country – the season’s 15th World Tour race. The 31-year-old was joined in the top ten by his teammate, Ilan Van Wilder, who showcased a great fighting spirit to finish sixth overall. Soudal Quick-Step’s amazing consistency throughout the week was underlined by the victory the Wolfpack recorded in the team classification, which our squad wrapped up in Eibar.

We had a great week and did a strong race from the first until the last day.

“We took a win, some other podiums and even had a couple of stages in the yellow jersey. I am happy I could finish in the top three, it makes me proud, not only on a personal level, but also because it came as a result of some outstanding teamwork. The same teamwork and determination that could be seen today on this complicated stage, and which helped both myself and Ilan defend our positions in the general classification and take home the team standings. It was a well-deserved result for the entire squad after a hard week that will give us a lot of confidence for the next races of this spring”, said Max after his first GC podium of the season.

Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images