WILD COLT. Ever since he was a ‘cadete’ (U17) and junior, with Basque development squads Zirauna and Iturribero, Basque hopeful Oier Lazkano showed the same abilities that have now led him into the WorldTour. He’s an indomitable cyclist, a really courageous one, whose strong body is made for solo escapes, flat or hilly roads and any terrain that requires a big amount of horsepower. His impressive figure -around 1.90m tall- and exceptional skills soon caught attention from the amateur Caja Rural outfit, which guided him through his two only seasons in the under-23 scene. At those, he snatched a dozen victories, including wins in Copa de España races and multi-day events, soon showing that the amateur peloton was almost too little (in a figurative sense) for him.

A FANTASTIC START. The Vitoria native would soon take the pro leap, already racing the Tour de l’Avenir and a couple of Italian semiclassics, as part of the pro Caja Rural team, in 2019. In 2020, the Spaniard would tackle, right after the first wave of the pandemic, a difficult step as he tried to get into the pace of the top guns, yet he faced that challenge with enormous commitment, his work ethic joined by an extremely affable spirit. And that’s how, only in September that year, he got his first win, crowning in Viseu – end of stage three of the Volta a Portugal – a brilliant breakaway with a solo, late attack. Not bad for a neo-pro, in such a difficult race as the ‘Grandíssima’! In 2021, he continue to amass international experience with his La Vuelta debut, en route to the WorldTour challenge with the Movistar Team.

BLOOMING. From his spectacular victory in 2022, his debut season with the ‘M’, at the Queen stage of the Tour de Wallonie -130km in the breakaway, the last few solo-, to the year that might have well defined, and surely propelled, his professional career: 2023. It was all about exhibitions. He claimed overall honours at the Boucles de la Mayenne in ‘hammertime mode’, launching a move with 90km to go in the decisive day, catching the original break and devouring his rivals one by one. He then went on to claim the national bands one month later, after supreme Movistar Team tactics. And he wore it to success at the Vuelta a Burgos, destroying another break with a great sprint in Pradoluengo. His current limit is only his own aspirations!