Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco 2010 Live Dashboard

2010 Podium: RadioShack's Chris Horner may have struggled on the podium, but earlier he uncorked a clutch individual time trial performance to win the final stage, the overall and the prized 50th Txapela (the great hat). Photo: Colin Flockton, steephill.tv

Monday, April 5

163 km

Zierbena → Zierbena

Tuesday, April 6

209 km

Zierbena → Viana

Wednesday, April 7

187 km

Viana → Amurrio

Thursday, April 8

166 km

Murgia → Eibar

Friday, April 9

170 km

Eibar → Orio (Alto Arrate)

Saturday, April 10

22 km

Orio → Orio

Total Distance

917 km

2010 Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Route

2010 Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Teams

Team Rosters and ~~Withdrawals~~

Euskaltel - Euskadi (EUS)
(ESP)

1	SANCHEZ GONZALEZ Samuel	ESP
2	MARTINEZ DE ESTEBAN Egoi	ESP
3	VERDUGO MARCOTEGUI Gorka	ESP
4	INTXAUSTI ELORRIAGA Beñat	ESP
5	TXURRUKA ANSOLA Amets	ESP
6	PEREZ MORENO Ruben	ESP
7	PEREZ LEZAUN Alan	ESP
8	OROZ UGALDE Juan Jose	ESP

Caisse d'Epargne (GCE)
(ESP)

11	VALVERDE BELMONTE Alejandro	ESP
12	LOPEZ GARCIA David	ESP
13	KIRYIENKA Vasil	BLR
14	ARROYO DURAN David	ESP
15	ZANDIO ECHAIDE Xabier	ESP
16	PEREZ SANCHEZ Francisco	ESP
17	BRUSEGHIN Marzio	ITA
18	URAN URAN Rigoberto	COL

Astana (AST)
(KAZ)

21	RENEV Sergey	KAZ
22	DE LA FUENTE RASILLA David	ESP
23	FOFONOV Dmitriy	KAZ
24	GOUROV Maxim	KAZ
25	NAVARRO GARCIA Daniel	ESP
26	ZEITS Andrey	KAZ
27	RAIMBEKOV Bolat	KAZ
28	TIRALONGO Paolo	ITA

Rabobank (RAB)
(NED)

31	FREIRE GOMEZ Oscar	ESP
32	GESINK Robert	NED
33	GARATE CEPA Juan Manuel	ESP
34	MARTENS Paul	GER
35	MOLLEMA Bauke	NED
36	NIERMANN Grischa	GER
37	TEN DAM Laurens	NED
38	TANKINK Bram	NED

HTC - Columbia (THR)
(USA)

41	ROGERS Michael	AUS
42	ALBASINI Michael	SUI
43	GULDHAMMER Rasmus	DEN
45	MONFORT Maxime	BEL
46	PINOTTI Marco	ITA
47	SIUTSOU Kanstantsin	BLR
48	VELITS Peter	SVK

Liquigas - Doimo (LIQ)
(ITA)

51	AGNOLI Valerio	ITA
52	ZAUGG Oliver	SUI
53	VANOTTI Alessandro	ITA
54	SANTAROMITA Ivan	ITA
55	BELLOTTI Francesco	ITA
56	FINETTO Mauro	ITA
57	KOREN Kristjan	SLO
58	VANDBORG Brian Bach	DEN

Katusha (KAT)
(RUS)

61	RODRIGUEZ OLIVER Joaquin	ESP
62	KOLOBNEV Alexandr	RUS
63	BOTCHAROV Alexandre	RUS
64	MAZZANTI Luca	ITA
65	PETROV Evgeni	RUS
66	KLIMOV Serguei	RUS
67	PLIUSCHIN Alexandre	MDA
68	VORGANOV Eduard	RUS

Lampre - Farnese Vini (LAM)
(ITA)

71	CUNEGO Damiano	ITA
72	GAVAZZI Francesco	ITA
73	PONZI Simone	ITA
74	MARZANO Marco	ITA
75	BONO Matteo	ITA
76	LOOSLI David	SUI
77	PIETROPOLLI Daniele	ITA
78	SPEZIALETTI Alessandro	ITA

Sky (SKY)
(GBR)

81	WIGGINS Bradley	GBR
82	GERRANS Simon	AUS
83	CARLSTRÖM Kjell	FIN
84	CUMMINGS Stephen	GBR
85	CALZATI Sylvain	FRA
86	PORTAL Nicolas	FRA
87	LÖFKVIST Thomas	SWE
88	VIGANO Davide	ITA

Quick Step (QST)
(BEL)

91	PINEAU Jérôme	FRA
92	REDA Francesco	ITA
93	CATALDO Dario	ITA
94	ENGELS Addy	NED
95	MALACARNE Davide	ITA
96	DEVENYNS Dries	BEL
97	SEELDRAEYERS Kevin	BEL
98	VAN DE WALLE Jurgen	BEL

Milram (MRM)
(GER)

101	GERDEMANN Linus	GER
102	FRÖHLINGER Johannes	GER
103	FOTHEN Thomas	GER
104	KNEES Christian	GER
105	NERZ Dominik	GER
106	GAJEK Artur	GER
107	ROHREGGER Thomas	AUT
108	RUSS Matthias	GER

Saxo Bank (SAX)
(DEN)

111	SCHLECK Andy	LUX
112	SCHLECK Fränk	LUX
113	VOIGT Jens	GER
114	JÖRGENSEN Jonas Aaen	DEN
115	SÖRENSEN Nicki	DEN
116	PORTE Richie	AUS
117	FUGLSANG Jakob	DEN
118	DIDIER Laurent	LUX

OmegaPharma - Lotto (OLO)
(BEL)

121	VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen	BEL
122	AERTS Mario	BEL
123	BRANDT Christophe	BEL
124	KAISEN Olivier	BEL
125	LLOYD Matthew	AUS
126	PERAUD Jean-Christophe	FRA
127	VAN GOOLEN Jurgen	BEL
128	WEGELIUS Charles	GBR

Garmin - Transitions (GRM)
(USA)

131	KESSIAKOFF Fredrik	SWE
132	HESJEDAL Ryder	CAN
133	LOWE Trent	AUS
134	MARTIN Daniel	IRL
135	MEIER Christian	CAN
136	PETERSON Thomas	USA
137	STETINA Peter	USA
138	ZABRISKIE David	USA

Footon - Servetto (FOT)
(ESP)

141	CAPECCHI Eros	ITA
142	BENITEZ ROMAN Jose Alberto	ESP
143	MAYOZ ETXEBERRIA Iban	ESP
144	PEREZ ARRIETA Aitor	ESP
145	VALLS FERRI Rafael	ESP
146	PEDERSEN Martin	DEN
147	BRÄNDLE Matthias	AUT
148	EIBEGGER Markus	AUT

Française des Jeux (FDJ)
(FRA)

151	CASAR Sandy	FRA
152	DI GREGORIO Rémy	FRA
153	LE MEVEL Christophe	FRA
154	CAZAUX Pierre	FRA
155	MEERSMAN Gianni	BEL
156	MOUREY Francis	FRA
157	SULZBERGER Wesley	AUS
158	VEIKKANEN Jussi	FIN

RadioShack (RSH)
(USA)

161	KLÖDEN Andreas	GER
162	LI Fuyu	CHN
163	PAULINHO Sergio Miguel Moreira	POR
164	ZUBELDIA AGIRRE Haimar	ESP
165	BUSCHE Matthew	USA
166	HERMANS Ben	BEL
167	HORNER Chris	USA
168	ROVNY Ivan	RUS

Ag2r - La Mondiale (ALM)
(FRA)

171	DUPONT Hubert	FRA
172	EFIMKIN Alexander	RUS
173	ARRIETA LUJAMBIO Jose Luis	ESP
174	BONNAFOND Guillaume	FRA
175	BOUET Maxime	FRA
176	KADRI Blel	FRA
177	LE LAY David	FRA
178	MANDRI René	EST

Xacobeo - Galicia (XAC)
(ESP)

181	MOSQUERA MIGUEZ Ezequiel	ESP
182	CESAR VELOSO Gustavo	ESP
183	GARCIA DAPENA David	ESP
184	RABUÑAL RIOS Gonzalo	ESP
185	MARTINEZ ACEVEDO Serafin	ESP
186	FERNANDEZ CRUZ Delio	ESP
187	GARCIA FERNANDEZ Marcos	ESP
188	GARCIA RENA Rodrigo	ESP

Andalucia - CajaSur (ACA)
(ESP)

191	GOMEZ MARCHANTE Jose Angel	ESP
192	MORENO BAZAN Javier	ESP
193	VAZQUEZ HUESO Manuel	ESP
194	PIEDRA PEREZ Antonio	ESP
195	CALVENTE GORBAS Manuel	ESP
196	RAMIREZ ABEJA Javier	ESP
198	CARRASCO GARCIA Sergio	ESP

News and Updates for Vuelta al País Vasco 2011

Vuelta al País Vasco 2011 Live Dashboard — steephill.tv

News and Updates for Vuelta al País Vasco 2010

Stage 6 results: Chris Horner walks the talk; takes the final stage ITT win and the overall from Alejandro Valverde

Stage 6 results
1  Chris Horner (RadioShack)                  32:33
2  Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargen)     + 0:08
3  Maxime Monfort (HTC-Columbia)             + 0:13
4  Michale Rogers (HTC-Columbia)             + 0:18
5  Beñat Intxausti (Euskaltel-Euskadi)       + 0:21
6  Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)        + 0:23
7  Marco Pinotti (HTC-Columbia)              + 0:25
8  Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha)               + 0:33
9  Jean ChristophePeraud (Omega Pharma-L) 
10 Andreas Kloden (RadioShack)               + 0:34

Enlarge Podium Photo

Final general classification
1  Christopher Horner (RadioShack)         23:27:30
2  Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne)     + 0:07
3  Beñat Intxausti (Euskaltel-Euskadi)       + 0:58
4  Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha)               + 1:06
5  Jean-Christophe Peraud (Omega Pharma-L)   + 1:10
6  Marco Pinotti (HTC-Columbia)              + 1:18
7  Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux)          + 1:47
8  Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)        + 1:58
9  Robert Gesink (Rabobank)                  + 1:59
10 Dries Devenyns (Quick Step)               + 2:27

Horner wins Basque Tour — velonews

Horner wins Tour of Basque Country after blitzing TT — cyclingweekly.co.uk

Stage 6 podium and action photos — vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco

Horner blasts his way to stage and race win — cyclingnews (Full Results)

Stage 6 photos — cyclinginside

Podium Ceremony — eitb

Chris Horner: "Ésta es mi carrera mi favorita" (01:29 english and spanish) — eitb

Alejandro Valverde: "No he podido ganar, pero el balance es positivo" (01:32 spanish) — eitb

Beñat Intxausti: "No esperaba estar en el podium" (02:33 )— eitb

Stage 6 Highlights; Valverde's finish (03:09 spanish) — rtve.es

Valverde vs Horner Highlights (01:55) — universalsports

Chris Horner post-race interview (06:55) — universalsports

Stage 6 preview: Orio → Orio, 22 km (TT)

April 10 update: One second. That's all a confident sounding Chris Horner needs to beat Alejandro Valverde during the final day individual time-trial. The 22k course is technical with a good 300m hill in the first half. Valverde is normally the better TTer and bike handler and he has looked good all week, but it would be great to see Horner win. It should be an interesting finale to the 50th edition of this fine race. See the race summary table (r) for the stage profile, map, timetable. — Steve

Interactive map and profile with Google Earth option — bikemap.net

ITT Start Order and Times (scroll down) — biciciclismo

Horner ‘confident’ ahead of TT showdown with Valverde — velonews

Stage 6 start time: Saturday 14:25 CEST (12:25:00 PM GMT+0000); Weather for Orio
Earliest live video: 15:20 CEST (1:20:00 PM GMT+0000); Live video, audio and text options
Approximate finish: 17:15 CEST (3:15:00 PM GMT+0000); Weather for Orio

Stage 5 results: Joaquim Rodríguez solos in to move up to third on GC after a hilly, technical stage

Stage 5 results
1  Joaquim Rodríguez (Team Katusha)             4:07:52
2  Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)            + 0:14
3  Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne)
4  Chris Horner (Team RadioShack) 
5  Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux)              + 0:20
6  Francesco Gavazzi (Lampre) 
7  Ryder Hesjdeal (Garmin-Transitions) 
8  Dries Devenyns (Quick Step) 
9  Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto) 
10 Jean Christophe Peraud (Omega Pharma-Lotto) 
11 Marco Pinotti (Team HTC-Columbia) 
12 Beñat Intxausti (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 
13 Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) 
14 Haimar Zubeldia (Team RadioShack) 
15 Maxime Monfort (Team HTC-Columbia) 
16 Kanstantin Siutsou (Team HTC-Columbia)        + 0:24
17 Evgeni Petrov (Team Katusha)                  + 0:42
18 Dani Navarro (Astana)                         + 0:51
19 Daniel Martin (Garmin-Transitions)            + 0:59

General classification after stage 5
1  Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne)
2  Christopher Horner (Team RadioShack)          + 0:01
3  Joaquim Rodríguez (Team Katusha)              + 0:34
4  Jean Christophe Peraud (Omega Pharma-Lotto)   + 0:38
5  Beñat Intxausti (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
6  Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank)                 + 0:45
7  Marco Pinotti (Team HTC-Columbia)             + 0:54
8  Robert Gesink (Rabobank) 
9  Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux) 
10 Dries Devenyns (Quick Step)                   + 1:16

Rodriguez soloes in for Katusha; Valverde retains overall lead (Full Results) — cyclingnews

Horner ‘confident’ ahead of TT showdown with Valverde — velonews

Rodriguez wins in Basque Country, Valverde defends lead — velonation

Horner Looks to Saturday's Time Trial — livestrong

Crash drops Gesink from third to eighth — cyclingnews

Stage 5 photos — cyclingnews

Amets Txurruka crashes on a late descent while leading the stage (01:44 no audio) — eitb

The very steep final climb, Alto de Aia-Frontón (02:10 ambient noise) — eitb

Last 2 Km (07:21 no audio) — eitb

Stage 5 photos — vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco

Stage 5 preview: Eibar → Orio (Alto Arrate), 170 km (hilly)

April 9 update: Stage 5 is a day with more good hills and two cat 2 climbs, the second being short but steep, close to the final km, downhill finish in Orio. See the race summary table (r) for the stage profile, map, timetable. — Steve

Interactive map and profile with Google Earth option — bikemap.net

Stage 5 start time: Friday 13:00 CEST (11:00:00 AM GMT+0000); Weather for Eibar
Earliest live video: 15:15 CEST (1:15:00 PM GMT+0000); Live video, audio and text options
Approximate finish: 17:15 CEST (3:15:00 PM GMT+0000); Weather for Orio (Alto Arrate)

Stage 4 results: Sanchez takes the Queen Stage while Valverde moves into the overall lead

Also follow steephill on Twitter for the latest race info and video updates.

Stage 4 results
1  Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
2  Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne)         + 0:02
3  Robert Gesink (Rabobank)
4  Chris Horner (Team RadioShack)                
5  Beñat Intxausti (Euskaltel-Euskadi)           + 0:33
6  Jean-Christophe Peraud (Omega Pharma-Lotto)
7  Damiano Cunego (Lampre)                       + 0:40
8  Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank)
9  Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux)              + 0:49
10 Joaquim Rodríguez (Team Katusha) 

General classification after stage 4
1  Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne)
2  Christopher Horner (Team RadioShack)          + 0:01
3  Robert Gesink (Rabobank)
4  Jean Christophe Peraud (Omega Pharma-Lotto)   + 0:32
5  Beñat Intxausti (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
6  Damiano Cunego (Lampre)                       + 0:39
7  Andy Schleck (Team Saxon Bank)
8  Marco Pinotti (Team HTC-Columbia)             + 0:48
9  Joaquim Rodríguez (Team Katusha) 
10 Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux)

Sanchez wins hilly stage in Pais Vasco (Full Results) — cyclingnews

Frank Schleck crashes at Basque Country — velonews

Horner Animates in Basque Country — livestrong

Samuel Sánchez: "Dedico la victoria a mi prima Laura y a mi amigo Álvaro" (02:15 spanish) — eitb

Stage 4 photos — cyclingnews

Last 2 Km (04:10 spanish) — rtve.es

Last 8 Km Part 1 (10:00 basque) | Part 2 (08:12) — eitb

Last 6 km (16:40 spanish) — eitb

Stage 4 preview: Murgia → Eibar, 166 km (Mountain)

April 8 update: Unlike the first three stages, Stage 4 will not end in a sprint finish. This is the most difficult stage with eight categorized climbs including 2 cat 1's with one of them in the last 10 km of the stage in Eibar, a popular stop for this race. Call this the Queen Stage. See the race summary table (r) for the stage profile, map, timetable. — Steve

Interactive map and profile with Google Earth option — bikemap.net

Stage 4 start time: Thursday 13:15 CEST (11:15:00 AM GMT+0000); Weather for Murgia
Earliest live video: 15:15 CEST (1:15:00 PM GMT+0000); Live video, audio and text options
Approximate finish: 17:15 CEST (3:15:00 PM GMT+0000); Weather for Eibar

Stage 3 results: Another sprint finish with Oscar Freire just missing out for the straight third day

Stage 3 results
1  Francesco Gavazzi (Lampre)              4:49:52
2  Oscar Freire (Rabobank)
3  Peter Velits (Team HTC-Columbia) 
4  Alexandre Botcharov (Team Katusha) 
5  Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 
6  Davide Vigano (Team Sky) 
7  Christian Knees (Team Milram) 
8  Davide Malacarne (Quick Step) 
9  Paul Martens (Rabobank) 
10 Kristjan Koren (Liquigas) 
11 Alexander Efimkin (AG2R) 
12 Marco Pinotti (Team HTC-Columbia)        + 0:02
13 Daniele Pietropolli (Lampre) 
14 Iban Velasco (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 
15 Thomas Rohregger (Team Milram) 
16 David Loosli (Lampre) 
17 Kevin Seeldraeyers (Quick Step) 
18 Serafín Martínez (Xacobeo Galicia) 
19 Mauro Finetto (Liquigas) 
20 Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) 

General classification after stage 3
1  Oscar Freire (Rabobank)
2  Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne)    + 0:01
3  Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions)      + 0:03

Gavazzi takes the sprint in Amurrio — cyclingnews

Stage 2 photos — cyclingnews

Gavazzi brucia Freire Che sprint nei Paesi Baschi! — gazzetta.it

Last Km (01:52 spanish) — eitb

Stage 3 preview: Viana → Amurrio, 187 km (hilly)

April 7 update: Stage 3 is a rolling stage as we head back north(west) for a flat finish this time in Amurrio so expect another field sprint. See the race summary table (r) for the stage profile, map, timetable. — Steve

Interactive map and profile with Google Earth option — bikemap.net

Stage 3 start time: Wednesday 12:35 CEST (10:35:00 AM GMT+0000); Weather for Viana
Earliest live video: 15:15 CEST (1:15:00 PM GMT+0000); Live video, audio and text options
Approximate finish: 17:15 CEST (3:15:00 PM GMT+0000); Weather for Amurrio

Stage 2 results

Valverde outsprints Freire in Viana — cyclingnews

Valverde takes another win at Basque Tour — velonews

Last Km (04:58) — rtve.es

Stage 2 photos — biciciclismo
... more to come...

Stage 2 preview: Zierbena → Viana, 209 km (hilly)

April 5 update: Stage 2 is a rolling-hilly route south from the stage 1 host, Zierbena to Viana, some 210k later with one circuit thrown in. There is a 4% uphill grade for the last km. See the race summary table (r) for the stage profile, map, timetable. — Steve

Interactive map and profile with Google Earth option — bikemap.net

Stage 2 start time: Tuesday 11:50 CEST (9:50:00 AM GMT+0000); Weather for Zierbena
Earliest live video: 15:45 CEST (1:45:00 PM GMT+0000); Live video, audio and text options
Approximate finish: 17:15 CEST (3:15:00 PM GMT+0000); Weather for Viana

Stage 1: The break fails; Alejandro Valverde wins the sprint finish after provisional winner Oscar Freire is relegated

Stage 1 results
1  Oscar Freire (Rabobank)   relegated       3:57:57
1  Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne)
2  Christophe Le Mevel (Française des Jeux)
3  Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions)
4  Alexandr Kolobnev (Team Katusha)
5  Jurgen Van den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto)
6  Rigoberto Urán (Caisse d'Epargne)
7  Haimar Zubeldia (Team RadioShack) 
8  Daniel Martin (Garmin-Transitions)
9  Beñat Intxausti (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
10 Sandy Casar (Française Des Jeux)

Valverde wins opening stage after Freire is relegated (Full Results) — cyclingnews

Hesjedal third as Valverde awarded win at Basque Country opener — velonews

Alejandro Valverde, ganador de la primera etapa de la Vuelta ciclista al País Vasco tras la descalificación de Freire — diariovasco

The victory salute and protest salute

Alejandro Valverde finally gets to celebrate on the podium

Stage 1 photos — cyclingnews

Last Km (00:56 spanish) — rtve.es

Last Km with overhead angle (00:49 spanish) — eitb

Last Km and Finish Analysis (02:50 english) — eurosport
... more to come...

2010 official rosters

April 5 update: Updated for today's start:

2010 Official Rosters/Startlist

Stage 1 preview: Zierbena → Zierbena, 163 km (hilly)

April 4 update: Stage 1 is a hilly bar-bell shaped loop starting and ending in Zierbena in the coastal region of the Basque Country just west of San Sebastian. There is a cat 2 climb 25 km from the finish, which is fairly flat for the last 15 km, with the last km being slightly downhill. See the race summary table (r) for the stage profile, map, timetable. — Steve

Interactive map and profile with Google Earth option — bikemap.net

Stage 1 start time: Monday 13:25 CEST (11:25:00 AM GMT+0000); Weather for Zierbena
Earliest live video: 15:30 CEST (1:30:00 PM GMT+0000); Live video, audio and text options
Approximate finish: 17:13 CEST (3:13:00 PM GMT+0000); Weather for Zierbena

En Directo: Live Video Streaming and TV Coverage

April 8 update: Your Tour of the Basque Country live coverage options for North America and elsewhere. Check back at race time for the latest live links. Feel free to send in additional sources for live video or tv coverage as they become known. — Steve

media source	tv or internet	comments/restrictions
	live video (basque) tv schedule	Worldwide; Basque; daily broadcast at 15:15 CEST.
	live video (spanish) live video (unrestricted) tv schedule	Spanish; Teledeporte feed; daily at 15:45 CEST (105 min).
	live video (basque) tv schedule	Worldwide; Basque; daily broadcast at 16:35 CEST
	live video (basque) tv schedule	Free worldwide; Basque; daily broadcast at 15:55 CEST.
	live video (no audio) tv schedule (see comments)	North America only?; live streaming video every day starting at 9:45 AM ET (90 min); no commentary; Delayed broadcast w/ English commentary on the Universal Sports TV Channel at 12 PM ET (90 min). On-demand rebroadcast of Stage 6
	live video (english) live audio (english) tv schedule (europe)	British Eurosport only; live at 15:00 GMT (90 min); highlights at 20:30 GMT (70 min);
	live video (french) tv schedule	France and Europe satellites; live each day at 16:00 CEST with rebroadcasts throughout the day
	live text updates	Official text updates in Spanish and ticker (Google English Translation)
	live text updates ES live text updates EN	The Spanish website Biciciclismo alos has the latest race updates
	steephill text updates #VueltaPaisVasco twitter group	short text updates from any and everyone
check back at race time for more and updated links; send a comment or a new live link

2010 Previews

Preview: Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco — podiumcafe

Valverde looks forward to Basque Country — Agence France Presse

Valverde and Schleck leading figures in Tour of the Basque Country — eitb

Dan Martin looks forward to Basque Country — cyclingweekly.co.uk

Spaniards expected to dominate in mountainous Pais Vasco — cyclingnews

2010 roster now posted

April 1 update:

2010 Provisional Rosters/Startlist

Interactive stage maps now posted

March 21 update: Thanks to bikemap.net, we now have interactive maps for each stage. Stage 1 was very hard to map and there may be a few mistakes. See the 'map' links in the race summary table (right) — Steve

Also follow steephill on Twitter for the latest race info and video updates.

2010 Early Preview

January 25 update: The 2010 and 50th Tour of the Basque Country will see the return of last year's champion and 2009 Tour de France winner, Alberto Contador. Expect tougher competition with Andy and Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank), World Champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) and Spanish rival Samuel Sanchez also expected to partake... more to come. Learn more about this race from last year's introduction. Thanks to Colin Flockton for the heads up on the 2010 info. — Steve

Monday, April 6th

142 km

Ataun → Ataun

Tuesday, April 7th

169 km

Ataun → Villatuerta

Wednesday, April 8th

163 km

Villatuerta → Éibar

Thursday, April 9th

152 km

Éibar → Güeñes

Friday, April 10th

162 km

Güeñes→ Zalla

Saturday, April 11th

24 km

Zalla → Zalla

Total Distance

812 km

2009 Vuelta al País Vasco Teams

Team Rosters and ~~Withdrawals~~

News and Updates for Vuelta al País Vasco 2009

Tour of the Basque Country 2010 Live Video, Route, Stages,
Teams, TV Schedule, Results and Photos

Stage 6 results: Alberto Contador wins the final TT to seal up his overall win

Contador also won last year's final TT. The Final GC Podium.

Big Photos from Stage 6 — colin flockton

Stage 6 results
1. Alberto Contador (Spanje/Astana)                    31:59
2. Antonio Colom (Spanje/Katusha)                    +   :22
3. Samuel Sanchez (Spanje/Euskaltel-Euskadi)         +   :45
4. Michael Rogers (Australië/Team Columbia-Highroad) +   :09
5. Luis Leon Sanchez (Spanje/Caisse d'Epargne)       +  1:13
6. Marco Pinotti (Italië/Team Columbia-Highroad)     +  1:18
7. Christian Vandevelde (Amerika/Garmin-Slipstream)  +  1:22
8. Cadel Evans (Australië/Silence-Lotto)             +  1:25
9. Robert Gesink (Nederland/Rabobank)                     st
10. Damiano Cunego (Italië/Lampre)                   +  1:26

Final General classification
1. Alberto Contador (Spanje/Astana)                 20:48:30
2. Antonio Colom (Spanje/Katusha)                    +   :30
3. Samuel Sanchez (Spanje/Euskaltel-Euskadi)         +   :53
4. Cadel Evans (Australië/Silence-Lotto)             +  1:33
5. Luis Leon Sanchez (Spanje/Caisse d'Epargne)       +  1:48
6. Damiano Cunego (Italië/Lampre)                    +  1:53

high-res victory salute

Contador celebrates after crossing the line — universalsports

Big Photos from Stage 6 — colin flockton

Contador arrolla en la crono y se lleva la Vuelta — as

Full Results — cyclingnews

Stage 6 Highlights — universalsports

Stage 5 results: Marco Pinotti of Team Columbia solos the last 15k in the pouring rain and finishes 20 seconds ahead of the field sprint

Big Photos from Stage 5 — colin flockton

Stage 5 results
1 Marco Pinotti (Ita) Team Columbia - Highroad     4.15.56
2 Ben Swift (GBr) Team Katusha                        0.19
3 Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.                 
4 Christian Knees (Ger) Team Milram                       
5 Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Milram                   
6 Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) AG2R La Mondiale                 
7 David López García (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne               
8 Peter Velits (Svk) Team Milram                          
9 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick Step                         
10 Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana

General classification after stage 5
1 Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana                   20.16.31
2 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi            0.08
3 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence-Lotto

Full Results — cyclingnews

Pinotti hammers home win at Basque Tour — velonews

Last 3 Km

El italiano Pinotti aprovechó la falta de batalla entre los favoritos — as

Stage 5 Photos — universalsports

Contador Carries Yellow To Final Day — astana-cyclingteam

Big Photos from Stage 5 — colin flockton

Pinotti, è impresa vera — gazzetta.it

Pinotti aprovecha el marcaje entre los favoritos para ganar en Zalla — vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco

Stage 5 Highlights (2:00) — universalsports

Stage 5 Photos — official site

Stage 4 results: Albasini wins easily from the three man break/sprint

Big Photos from Stage 4 — colin flockton

Stage 4 results
1 Michael Albasini (Swi) Team Columbia - Highroad    
2 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Silence-Lotto          
3 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream    
4 Ben Swift (GBr) Team Katusha                      1.25                      
5 Allan Davis (Aus) Quick Step                       
6 Xavier Florencio (Spa) Cervélo TestTeam 

General classification after stage 4
1 Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana                      16.00.16
2 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi               0.08
3 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence-Lotto                            
4 Antonio Colom Mas (Spa) Team Katusha                       
5 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.                   0.27
6 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank                           0.32
7 Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne           0.35
8 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas                         0.54

Full Results...coming — cyclingnews

Etapa para Albasini y Contador sigue líder — as

high-res victory salute

Vande Velde third, Contador in control, Horner crashes out — velonews

Jurgen Van den Broeck grijpt naast bloemen (

...coming?) — sporza.be

Big Photos from Stage 4 — colin flockton

Stage 4 Photos — universalsports

Stage 4 Highlights (01:51) — universalsports

Stage 4 Photos — official site

Stage 3 results: Contador dances away with the Queen Stage

Stage 3 results
1 Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana                       4.16.29  (40.35 km/h)
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence-Lotto                        0.09
3 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                   
4 Antonio Colom Mas (Spa) Team Katusha                       
5 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.                   0.28
6 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank                           0.33
7 Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne           0.36

General classification after stage 3
1 Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana                      11.59.08
2 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi               0.09
3 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence-Lotto                            
4 Antonio Colom Mas (Spa) Team Katusha                       
5 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.                   0.28
6 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank                           0.33
7 Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne           0.36

Contador storms to stage, overall lead — cyclingnews

Alberto Contador wins stage 3 of the Basque tour and takes over the lead from Sanchez — velonews

Stage 3 Photos — universalsports

Stage 3 Finish Part 1 (09:00)

Stage 3 Finish Part 2 (link corrected) (05:34)

Alberto Contador geeft zijn visitekaartje af — sporza.be

Stage 3 Photos — official site

Spectator Video on the finishing climb to Arrate: many of these Basque fans go to the Tour de France each year (01:28)

Stage 3 preview: Queen Stage coming up on Wednesday

steephill is now on Twitter with the latest race updates

April 7 update: Although, Vuelta al País Vasco is a hilly stage race, I consider stage 3 to be the only mountainous stage. With a field stacked of great climbers, there should a good mountaintop finish on Wednesday. The riders seemed to be holding back today in anticipation of the Queen Stage. By the way, I've revised the team rosters since I hadn't updated the provisional startlist with the inevitable last-minute changes. Also, tomorrow is an overlapping doubleheader with Gent-Wevelgem Live expected to finish one hour before the end of Vuelta al País Vasco... plenty of time to catch the semi-classic finish in Belgium and the mountaintop finish in Spain. If you check out the stage 3 course map (just redone) and you'll notice the stage finishes 50k from San Sebastian, site of a well-known classic race in August. — Steve

Pais Vasco: A Viewers Guide To Tomorrow's Queen Stage — podiumcafe
Precise Stage 3 Course Map (redone) (generated profile looks different from above) — bikemap.net

Stage 2 results: The two man break succeeds; Yury Trofimov (Rus) of BBox Bouygues Telecom takes the win

Stage 2 results
1 Yury Trofimov (Rus) BBox Bouygues Telecom    4.12.46
2 Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis                     0.06
3 Ben Swift (GBr) Team Katusha                    1.10
4 Michael Albasini (Swi) Team Columbia - Highroad     
5 Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne            
6 Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.             
7 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Team Milram                    
8 Allan Davis (Aus) Quick Step                        
9 Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus) Team Saxo Bank              
10 Massimiliano Mori (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.

Full Results — cyclingnews

Last 3 Km

Swift third in Pais Vasco — cyclingweekly.co.uk

Yury Trofimov (Bouygues Telecom) wins stage 2 in the Basque, as Sanchez retains the lead — velonews

Stage 2 Photos — official site

Stage 2 photos — universalsports

Trofimov se anota la segunda etapa, Luis León Sánchez sigue líder — as

steephill is now on Twitter with the latest race updates

Stage maps for all stages now posted

April 7 update: Spanish race orgainzers aren't very good at providing stage maps, but bikemap.net has heeded my suggestion and put together their own so we now have nice interactive maps and profiles of all stages. See the 'map' links in the race summary table.

Stage 1 results: Luis León Sánchez of Caisse d'Epargne wins the 15 man sprint in Ataun

Stage 1 results
1 Luis Léon Sanchez Gil GCE 03u28'43'' 
2 Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez EUS z.t 
3 Jérôme Pineau QST z.t 
4 Christian Knees MRM z.t 
5 Alexandr Kolobnev SAX z.t 
6 Joaquím Rodriguez Oliver GCE z.t 
7 Michael Rogers TCO z.t 
8 Vincenzo Nibali LIQ z.t 
9 Dries Devenyns QST z.t 
10 Cadel Evans SIL z.t 
11 Christopher Horner AST z.t 
12 Damiano Cunego LAM z.t 
13 Alberto Contador Velasco AST z.t 
14 Antonio Colom Mas KAT z.t 
15 Sandy Casar FDJ z.t 
16 Fränk Schleck SAX z.t 
17 David Lopez Garcia GCE z.t 
18 Robert Gesink RAB z.t

Full Results — cyclingnews

Last 4 Km (06:50)

Luis Leon Sanchez snelste sprinter in Baskenland — wielerflits.nl

Luis León Sánchez gana la primera etapa y se convierte en el primer líder — as

Climbing Alto de Lazkaomendi 10k from the line (06:50)

Stage 1 Photos — official site

Race Preview

steephill is now on Twitter with the latest race updates

País Vasco: The Astana show continues — cyclingnews

10 riders to watch at the Tour of the Basque Country — universalsports

Upcoming: Vuelta Pais Vasco, April 6-11 — europeloton

Provisional/Official Rosters now up

March 30 update: Official rosters with bib numbers and country sort option are now up (see right). Considering this event runs inbetween Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, the provisional rosters are very impressive.
Two ways to view the startlist:

March 27 update: The official route presentation:

Presentada la nueva Vuelta Al País Vasco — biciciclismo

March 22 update: All stage profiles and timetables are now posted. See the race summary table (right). (Thanks Colin Flockton)

Feburary 7 update: The Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco is a cycling stage race held in the Basque Country, a cultural region shared between France and Spain, at the same time the classics are happening in northern Europe, giving riders (mainly climbers) an alternative to the cobbles and cold weather.

Known as the Tour of the Basque Country in English and Euskal Herriko Txirrindulari Itzulia in Basque, the six-day race was first held in 1935, while the modern version of the race took place for the first time in 1969. The race is now organised by the leading Basque newspaper Diario Vasco (official site) which holds a UCI ProTour licence through to 2012. This year's event runs from Monday, April 6th through Saturday, April 11th.

In 2008, Spain's Alberto Contador (Astana) pulled off a wire-to-wire victory at the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco. He took the first stage to Legazpi and then wrapped it up, in style, with a surprise 20 km TT win around Orio on the final day.

The route of the Vuelta Pais Vasco 2009 will again highlight the picturesque, hilly/mountainous Basque countryside and the coastal region. Stages are planned for Ataun, Villatuerta, Guenes, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Zalla.

Beijing Olympic gold medalist Samuel Sanchez and his local Basque Eusklatel team have the Vuelta al Pais Vasco placed on their list of major objectives for 2009. Last year's Tour de France champion, Carlos Sastre will also ride it for the new Cervelo Test Team and Alberto Contador has announced he will return to defend his title.

Thanks to steephill.tv European photo contributor, Colin Flockton, for submitting the route map for this year's event. He points out that the other Basque Country stage race, Euskal-Bizikleta, has merged with The Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco for 2009. — Steve and uci.ch

steephill is now on Twitter with the latest race updates

Check back for teams, team rosters, stage maps and profiles, worldwide tv schedules and live internet video as the race draws closer.
(Contador and Sanchez photos © steephill.tv/sirotti)

Alberto Contador surprised a lot of people at last year's Vuelta al País Vasco by winning the final day TT sealing up his wire-to-wire overall win.

The Official 2009 Route Map (mapa de la ruta/pista y etapas):

Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco 2010 Live Dashboard

News and Updates for Vuelta al País Vasco 2011

News and Updates for Vuelta al País Vasco 2010

Stage 5 results: Joaquim Rodríguez solos in to move up to third on GC after a hilly, technical stage

Stage 1: The break fails; Alejandro Valverde wins the sprint finish after provisional winner Oscar Freire is relegated

2010 official rosters

En Directo: Live Video Streaming and TV Coverage permalink("#live");

2010 Previews permalink("#preview");

2010 roster now posted

Interactive stage maps now posted

2010 Early Preview

News and Updates for Vuelta al País Vasco 2009

Tour of the Basque Country 2010 Live Video, Route, Stages,Teams, TV Schedule, Results and Photos

Stage 6 results: Alberto Contador wins the final TT to seal up his overall winpermalink("#06-results-2009");

Stage 5 results: Marco Pinotti of Team Columbia solos the last 15k in the pouring rain and finishes 20 seconds ahead of the field sprintpermalink("#05-results-2009");

Stage 4 results: Albasini wins easily from the three man break/sprintpermalink("#04-results-2009");

Stage 3 results: Contador dances away with the Queen Stagepermalink("#03-results-2009");

Stage 3 preview: Queen Stage coming up on Wednesdaypermalink("#03-results-2009");

Stage 2 results: The two man break succeeds; Yury Trofimov (Rus) of BBox Bouygues Telecom takes the winpermalink("#02-results-2009");

Stage maps for all stages now posted

Stage 1 results: Luis León Sánchez of Caisse d'Epargne wins the 15 man sprint in Ataunpermalink("#01-results-2009");

Race Preview

Provisional/Official Rosters now up

The Official 2009 Route Map (mapa de la ruta/pista y etapas):

En Directo: Live Video Streaming and TV Coverage

2010 Previews

Tour of the Basque Country 2010 Live Video, Route, Stages,
Teams, TV Schedule, Results and Photos

Stage 6 results: Alberto Contador wins the final TT to seal up his overall win

Stage 5 results: Marco Pinotti of Team Columbia solos the last 15k in the pouring rain and finishes 20 seconds ahead of the field sprint

Stage 4 results: Albasini wins easily from the three man break/sprint

Stage 3 results: Contador dances away with the Queen Stage

Stage 3 preview: Queen Stage coming up on Wednesday

Stage 2 results: The two man break succeeds; Yury Trofimov (Rus) of BBox Bouygues Telecom takes the win

Stage 1 results: Luis León Sánchez of Caisse d'Epargne wins the 15 man sprint in Ataun