In the third stage of Itzulia Basque Country, the breakaway riders battled for the stage win. Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader Ben Tulett crashed in the peloton but still made a strong impression in the finale. The Brit remains in the top five of the general classification.
On the third day of the Basque stage race, the riders faced 153 kilometers, starting and finishing in Basauri. After an opening phase over rolling roads, the focus of the stage came in the final section. In total, three categorized climbs had to be tackled. Tulett started the stage fifth overall.
The day’s breakaway only formed after more than an hour of racing. A strong group of fifteen riders quickly built up a significant lead. In the peloton, things briefly went wrong for Tulett. The 24-year-old Brit, together with teammate Tim Rex, was involved in a crash on the approach to the first climb of the day. Fortunately, both were able to continue and rejoined the peloton shortly afterward.
On the final two climbs, the lead group was gradually reduced. In the peloton, the favorites remained calm, allowing the early breakaway riders to fight for the stage win. In the end, Frenchman Axel Laurance proved strongest after attacking together with Igor Arrieta. In the peloton, race leader Paul Seixas tried to gain a few seconds in the steep final kilometer, but Tulett responded attentively to the young Frenchman’s last move. The Brit finished thirteenth.
"A SOLID RESULT GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES" - DS FRANS MAASSEN
“A solid result given the circumstances,” said sports director Frans Maassen. “Ben had a heavy crash, so it’s a relief that he came away without too much damage. He was well supported by his teammates and still managed to show himself in the finale. We hope the damage is limited with the coming stages in mind. Today was a very tough transition stage, and the next few days will also feature demanding stages. We’ll have to take it day by day.”
Itzulia Basque Country
Stage 3
Result & Rankings
1
Axel Laurance
INEOS Grenadiers
03:38:33
2
Igor Arrieta
UAE Team Emirates - XRG
+00:00:02
3
Natnael Tesfatsion
Movistar Team
+00:00:14
13
Ben Tulett
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:01:04
36
Tijmen Graat
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:01:09
56
Steven Kruijswijk
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:01:58
65
Filippo Fiorelli
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:02:30
99
Bruno Armirail
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:11:34
103
Tim Rex
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:13:09
133
Menno Huising
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:17:34
- Team Visma
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