Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, April 7, 2026

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I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. - Thomas A. Edison

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Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the 2024 Tour de France: The Happy Warrior Triumphs is available print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the link on the right.

Current racing:

• April 6 - 11: Itzulia Basque Country (Tour of the Basque Country)
• April 7 - 10: Région Pays de la Loire Tour

Upcoming racing:

• April 8: Scheldeprijs
• April 12: Paris-Roubaix

Latest completed racing:

• April 5: Ronde van Vlaanderen
• April 4: GP Miguel Indurain
• April 4: NXT Classic
• April 3: Classic Adélie de Vitré
• April 1: Dwars door Vlaanderen
• March 31: Paris-Camembert
• March 23 - 29: Volta a Catalunya
• March 25 - 29: Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
• March 29: Gent-Wevelgem

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Vuelta al País Vasco stage one reports

We posted the report from second-place Kévin Vauquelin's Team INEOS Grenadiers with the results.

Here's the report from third-place Felix Grossschartner's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:

Making a flying start to the week at Itzulia Basque Country, Felix Grossschartner rode to third place in the stage 1 individual time trial. The former Austrian ITT champion demonstrated his prowess against the clock, coming home just 27 seconds down on the winning time of Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM).

Paul Seixas on his way to winning the stage. Photo: Sprint Cycling

Grossschartner, one of UAE Team Emirates-XRG‘s most experienced riders, produced a ride that saw him placed amongst the hotly anticipated general classification contenders. Making a strong start right from the gun, the 32-year-old powered up the opening climb, continued his efforts through the day’s middle portion, and then danced on the pedals through the tough closing metres.

In doing so, Grossschartner maintained a consistent provisional standing throughout his effort, before crossing the line in a time of 17 minutes and 36 seconds. That placed him in second place at the time, with the Austrian just bettered by Kévin Vauquelin of Ineos Grenadiers later in the day.

As Grossschartner claimed third, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Brandon McNulty delivered a characteristically strong ride to take eighth place on stage 1. Tasked with a 13.8km-long individual time trial, the former American national time trial champion ceded only 43 seconds to the day’s winner, Seixas.

The last UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider off the starting ramp was the Mexican, Isaac del Toro. Tasked with heading up the team’s general classification hopes in the Basque Country, the national time trial champion battled hard to 13th place at the finish. His eyes will quickly turn to the mountainous days to come between now and the race’s finale on Saturday.

Speaking to the TV cameras after the finish, Grossschartner reflected on a job well done on the opening day in Bilbao.

Grossschartner: “Being before guys like Primož Roglič is not so bad. I had a good feeling today. To be honest, after Sanremo, I was a little cracked at home and not feeling so great, so it was a nice surprise today. I really had good power.

“It was more wind than in the recon, I am happy I chose the lower wheels in the front, but no worries and it was still quite good. The most important thing was the start, the first 2.5km, to go super hard but not kill yourself completely. There is still a steady descent where you need to pedal and have good power.

“It was a tough TT with no real time to recover anywhere. In the end, if you did recon, you know the corners, and then it is just about the legs. The guy with the strongest legs won.”

Here's the Basque Country Tour report from fifth-place Ilan Van Wilder's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

Sixth overall last year at the most important Basque race, Ilan Van Wilder returned at the start of this 65th edition, which got underway with an individual time trial in Bilbao. The course was identical to the one of 2021, held without fans due to the pandemic: a longer climb which the riders tackled as soon as they left the ramp, and another one just before the finish, shorter, but featuring punishing double-digit gradients reaching 19%.

Ilan, who came here having previously completed the UAE Tour and Paris-Nice this season, had ambitions for the 13.8km ITT, and didn’t disappoint. The 26-year-old found his rhythm immediately and navigated the time trial handsomely, which helped him put together a really nice time trial.

Ilan Van Wilder racing in stage 8 of the 2025 Tour of Switzerland. Sirotti photo

Bronze medalist at the ITT World Championships last year, Van Wilder stopped the clock in 17:38 thanks to an average speed of 46.95km/h, which put him in fifth place on this stage won by Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM), making him the highest-ranked Soudal Quick-Step rider in the GC.

“You needed a strong start and then a good downhill; then, it was important to maintain the speed towards the final climb, where I did an all-out effort. I’m satisfied with how things went and with the feeling I had today. It’s just the opening stage, but we take a lot of confidence from this and we’ll try to score some more good results in the coming days, as we have a team capable of this”, Ilan said at the finish in Bilbao.

Team Picnic-PostNL posted this report:

Team Picnic PostNL got their week of racing underway at Itzulia Basque Country with the opening individual time trial in Bilbao. The 13.8-kilometre route began in the city centre before heading out towards the hills on the outskirts, starting with the Alto de Santo Domingo, before returning to Bilbao with a short and steep kicker to the finish line.

The team tackled the course with controlled efforts throughout the day, with Frank van den Broek setting our fastest time on the day. Most importantly, the team came through the opening test in a good way and now looks ahead to opportunities in the coming stages as the race heads into more demanding terrain.

And here's the Tour of the Basque Country report from Ben Tulett's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

The 68th edition of the Basque stage race kicked off with an individual time trial. In the 13.9-kilometre race against the clock, the riders had to tackle the Santo Domingo (2.4 km at 7%) straight away, followed by a fast and technical descent. A gruelling final climb awaited them in the last 500 metres.

Ben Tulett got underway early and clocked a respectable time of 18:01. The 24-year-old Briton eventually finished fourteenth, over fifty seconds behind stage winner Seixas. "I’m glad the first test has finished", says Tulett. "It was a very tough time trial. It went uphill straight from the start, and that’s certainly not easy on a time trial bike. All in all, I can be satisfied with this result."

Ben Tulett on the podium after stage five of the 2025 Coppi-Bartali race. Sirotti photo

For Tulett, this week is all about his return to racing. "After my crash in the Faun Drome Classic, I wasn’t able to race for a few weeks, so I was really looking forward to getting back out there with my teammates. I’m curious to see how the next few days will go. The organisers have once again put together a challenging route for us, so there’ll be climbing every day."