Race analysis, favourites, and predictions for Itzulia Basque Country 2022

The Itzulia Basque Country is the stage tour of the Basque Country, one of the places in the world where cycling is most passionately experienced. As usual, a large presence of fans is expected on the roads, especially since the hardest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be over.

Route

The race will start with a 7.6 km time trial prologue, which will decide the first leader. From the second day, the remaining 5 stages present medium-mountain profiles without clear opportunities for sprinters, since no day falls below the 2,700 meters of positive slope. The sixth and last stage includes the ascent to three first category climbs, so it is expected to be decisive for the GC.

Favorites

Reigning champion Primož Roglič (1200) starts as the main favorite, although he will not be short of rivals. Remco Evenepoel (1200), Alexandr Vlasov (1200), Julian Alaphilippe (1200), Adam Yates (1000), Enric Mas (1000), David Gaudu (800), Sergio Higuita (600), Geraint Thomas (600), Ion Izagirre (600), Michael Woods (800), Pello Bilbao (800), Daniel Martínez Poveda (600), Pierre Latour (400) or Roglič's teammate Jonas Vingegaard (800) should also be in contention for top 10 positions.