Landa, Movistar Team stay away from trouble at Itzulia’s gravel roads
09 April 2019

Vuelta al País Vasco (st. 2)

Basque climber + Winner Anacona finish 9" behind first little group at Castillo de Gorráiz's hill-top finish, following good attitude and positioning at five 'sterrato' sections in the Egüés valley. Another uphill finish coming up at Estibaliz on Wednesday.

Julian Alaphilippe (DQT) responded to his role of big favourite for Tuesday’s stage two by winning at the 8% slope of the Castillo de Gorráiz, end of a very difficult 149km route towards the Egüés vallery. It was a day mostly raced over the gravel and concrete roads that link the villages where the Movistar Team has its main headquarters.

The Itzulia peloton at one of Tuesday’s gravel road sections. (c) Photo Gomez Sport

The Telefónica-backed squad rode quite orderly, sending Rojas, Anacona, Fernández, Verona, Betancur and Pedrero several times to the front of the peloton as it strung out in the five ‘sterrato’ sections covered in the last 49km. Briton Adam Yates (MTS) was the main GC contender absent -due to a mechanical issue- into a 50-rider group at the finish, as Mikel Landa suffered from a 8″ split between the first and the second half of the peloton, which leaves him 1’06” behind race leader Max Schachmann (BOH).

Landa at the finish. (c) Photo Gomez Sport

It wasn’t a comfortable day by any means,” were Landa’s words at the finish. “We knew it would be a nervous day, just like it happened. We did a good job of keeping a good position inside the bunch, though. Home roads for me tomorrow,” commented on another uphill finish at the Santuario de Estibaliz on Wednesday -191km on stage three from Sarriguren-, “even if it doesn’t look like it should suit me. It’s all about the two Eibar stages for me on Friday and Saturday; up to then, the key will be not losing more time.

Cover picture (c): Photo Gomez Sport