Itzulia Basque Country 2025 culminated in stage 6 – the Queen Stage of the race, where the climbing aces and general classification favorites were expected to excel. A grand show was anticipated on the 153.4-kilometer roundtrip from Eibar and back. The stage profile featured no less than seven categorized climbs of which three were Category 1 climbs, one was a Category 2 climb, with three Category 3 climbs added to sweeten the deal.

Stage 6 was also the final stage of this year’s Itzulia Basque Country – also known as Tour of the Basque Country – so the smaller teams, which had been granted wild cards to participate in the race, were expected to be eager to show their colors and promote their sponsors from the beginning of the race. 

Perhaps inspired by the impressive long solo breakaway effort of yesterday’s stage winner Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Diego Uriarte of Equipo Kern Pharma launched a solo attack when 150 kilometers remained. Uriarte, however, was caught after a few kilometers of solo effort.

The peloton reached the Azurki climb (Category One) together. After a couple of climbing kilometers, attacks were launched from the main peloton. It took a while for a viable breakaway group to be established. Twenty-two riders joined forces at the front, including noteworthy riders such as Marc Hirschi (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), Sepp Kuss (Team Visma-Lease a Bike), Romain Gregoire (Groupama-FDJ), Warren Barguil (Team Picnic-PostNL), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Daniel Martinez (Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe), Brino Armirail (Decathlon-AG2R), Ion Izagirre (Team Cofidis), Bauke Mollema (Lidl-Trek), and Frenchman Axel Laurance of Ineos-Grenadiers.

Additional riders were engaged in chase efforts, hoping to bridge the gap to the front group. Meanwhile, riders from UAE Team Emirates were controlling the pace in the main peloton. 120 kilometers remained.

Krabelin, the next Category One climb on today’s racing menu, caused disruption in the breakaway group as Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) and Daniel Martinez (Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe) attacked and broke away from the group, thereby forming a strong front duo. 

Riders from the chase group made the leap and joined the front duo. Bruno Armirail won the KOM sprint at the summit of the Krabelin climb. A fast descent awaited as did one Category 1 climb, one Category 2 climb, and two Category 3 climbs in the final one hundred kilometers of the final stage of this year’s Itzulia Basque Country race.

Having conquered the Category 3 Trabakua climb, Armirail was solo in front, while in the process of chasing points for the King of the Mountains classification, which he led before today’s stage. A thirteen-man chase group was 01:15 minutes behind the Frenchman, while the main peloton, featuring the general classification favorites, was 02:50 minutes behind.

The thirteen-man chase group featured Bauke Mollema (Lidl-Trek), Finlay Pickering (Bahrain Victorious), Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Callum Scotson (Decathlon-AG2R), Daniel Martinez (Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Jordan Jegat (UAE Team Emirates), Warren Barguil (Picnic-PostNL), Guillermo Martinez (Picnic-PostNL), Romain Gregoire (Groupama-FDJ), Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), and Marc Hirschi (Tudor Pro Cycling Team).

Jegat, Healy, and Martinez left the other chasers behind and were chasing with a thirty second deficit when 77 kilometers remained. Sole frontman Armirail decided to wait for the chasing trio and the four riders joined forces.

The chasers managed to reel in the front quartet and the groups had merged as the riders reached the Karabieta climb (Category Two). Meanwhile, riders from UAE Team Emirates were spearheading the main peloton, closely monitored by Quinn Simmons of Team Lidl-Trek. Both teams had a rider in the breakaway, while also maintaining interests in the general classification.

Armirail won the KOM sprint at the Karabieta summit, and the front group pressed on while hoping to be able to battle for the stage win in the Queen Stage of this year’s Itzulia Basque Country. It had started raining and the mountain descents were dangerous.

Marc Hirschi attacked solo while on the wet descent sixty kilometers from the finish line. He experienced ten kilometers as solo chase rabbit before being caught by Healy and the rest of the chase group in the rainy racing conditions. The peloton was now approximately one minute behind.

Healy and Martinez escaped from the front group and started the Izua climb (Category One) with a small lead. Callum Scotson joined the two frontmen. A crash occurred in the main peloton, which caused some confusion and disruption.

In the same way as yesterday, Healy went solo on the Izua climb. The Irishman left Martinez behind. Meanwhile, action had taken place in the reduced main peloton group, where race leader Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) had attacked.

Healy was still solo in front with 38 kilometers remaining, presenting one of his great attacking performances to the eager and supporting cycling spectators along the roads of the Basque Country.

With Healy in front, a group featuring Almeida, Daniel Martinez, Enric Mas (Movistar), and Jordan Jegat had formed approximately one minute behind the frontman in the pink EF Education-EasyPost colors.

Mattias Skjelmose (Team Lidl-Trek) joined Almeida, Mas and Jegat in the first chase group as did Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates), Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), and Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek).

The general classification leader’s group was 35 seconds behind Healy in the valley stretch with 26 kilometers remaining. The group was working hard to reel in frontman Healy, to gain the opportunity of fighting for the stage victory and settle the final general classification.

Healy’s lead had been reduced to seventeen seconds as the riders approached the Trabakua climb. The Category 3 climb was the final categorized climb of the day. 22 kilometers remained. It now appeared a stage winner would be found from the seven-man chase group.

Healy was reeled in with twenty-one kilometers left of stage 6. Eight frontmen were now chasing the stage victory, while the remaining riders from the main peloton were thirty-six seconds back.

Mattias Skjelmose crashed on the wet descent. He got back on his bike, but had to fix his chain, which had come off. Bad luck for the Danish general classification favorite.

Enric Mas attacked and was joined by Almeida and Healy in the hilly terrain of the Basque country. Fourteen kilometers remained. 

The front trio had a small advantage with ten kilometers left of the final stage of this year’s Itzulia Basque Country tour. Isaac del Toro caught the trio and was now part of the fight for the stage win.

Mas and Almeida left del Toro and Healy behind on a steep hill with six kilometers remaining. It appeared the stage winner would be found between Mas and Almeida. Would Almeida win the Itzulia Basque Tour and Mas win the final stage? Or did Almeida want all the glory for himself and his team?

Almeida and Mas entered the narrow and hilly streets of Eibar. One kilometer remained.

Joao Almeida crossed the finish line ahead of Enric Mas as winner of stage 6 of Itzulia Basque Country 2025. The stage victory also secured Almeida the general classification victory in the race. Ben Healy completed the stage podium a few seconds later.

Joao Almeida won the general classification for UAE Team Emirates in 20:04:49. Enric Mas finished second, 01:52 minutes behind the race winner, while Maximilian Schachmann finished third for Soudal-QuickStep, 01:59 minutes behind the GC winner. Florian Lipowitz finished fourth, while Mattias Skjelmose secured fifth in the GC despite his crash in the final stage.

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