Tour of the Basque Country (2015) Photos April 6 - 11

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Caja Rural during the teams presentation. With no more Basque team in this race they can be considered the local team.	Overall race favorite, Nairo Quintana (Movistar)	Nairo Quintana (Movistar)
BMC's Philippe Gilbert and Tejay van Garderen	Stage 1 start scene in Bilbao	Stage 1 rollout
Omar Fraile (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) solo break	Omar Fraile (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)	Peloton
Omar Fraile (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) still out front	Movistar chasing	Sprint finish in Bilbao after the crash in the final corner
Michael MATTHEWS (ORICA GreenEDGE) leading sprint with 50m to go
Michael MATTHEWS (ORICA GreenEDGE) wins ahead of 2nd Michal KWIATKOWSKI (ETIXX - QUICK STEP) and 3rd Ilnur ZAKARIN (KATUSHA)
Nairo Quintana (Movistar) was caught behind the crash	One of the Yates brothers was caught in the crash	Darwin ATAPUMA was caught in the crash unlike his teammate Peter Stetina he wasn't badly injured.
These inadequately marked and protected permanent pillars where the source of the crash and injuries in the final corner	Your Stage 1 winner, Michael MATTHEWS (ORICA GreenEDGE)
	Michael MATTHEWS (ORICA GreenEDGE) in the first leader's jersey
Young rider leader as well	Omar Fraile (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) leads the mountains classification and was most aggressive rider

Stage 2:  Bilbao → Vitoria-Gasteiz, 175 km  Full Results and Report

Puppy outside Bilbao Guggenheim museum	Like Stage 1, Stage 2 started from the Bilbao Guggenheim museum	Omar Fraile Caja Rural wearing mountains points jersey
2nd at last year's Tour de France and recent winner of Criterium International, JC Peraud, at sign on	Darwin Atapuma Colombia (BMC) might be a factor yet in this race	Trek's Bob JUNGELS
Frank Schleck	Nairo Quintana	Joaquin RODRIGUEZ
Michael Matthews (Orica Greenedge) in leaders jersey at sign on		Delayed start as part of the protest as riders stand united against dangerous race conditions
Big early gap	Movistar lead the peloton in the chase on cat1 Col de Orduna	Quintana prominent in the peloton
Peloton gaining on break with 30k to go	Sprint finish in Vitoria-Gasteiz	Nice perspective shot of the finish in full flight
		Fabio FELLINE (TREK FACTORY RACING) holds off yesterday's winner,Michael MATTHEWS (ORICA GreenEDGE)
	Your Stage 2 winner, Italian Fabio FELLINE (TREK FACTORY RACING)
Michael Matthews retains leaders jersey	Michael Matthews soaks the photographers in cava	Michael Matthews also hold the young riders jersey
Amets Txurruka a local basque hero holds the mountains jersey after todays break for the Caja Rural team	Louis Vervaeke Lotto Soudal holds metas volante intermediate sprints jersey	Louis Vervaeke Lotto Soudal

Stage 3:  Vitoria-Gasteiz → Zumarraga, 171 km  Full Results and Report

Omar Fraile Caja Rural Spain arrives at sign on without a mountain leaders jersey this morning	Omar Fraile's summary of the climbs before getting in the break	Simon Gerrans, back from early season injuries
Tejay Van Garderen USA BMC	Frank Schleck Lux Trek	Rui Costa Portugal / Lampre
Samual Sanchez. He now has golden shoes again... back after public demand!	The break on the Cat 1 Alto De Urbasa	Sander (Lotto Soudal) Carthy (Caja Rural)
Omar Fraile and Sander of Lotto `Soudal in break	Astana's Liewe Westra in the break	Five minutes later, Movistar and Quintana lead the chase
1st of two passes up Alto De La Antigua (Photographer notes: not a camera trick... it does look 45 degrees!)	Westra fights through crowd on 25% Alto de la Antigue in lead	Westra held on to the lead until dying with 3 km to go
20s back Omar Fraile		Hugh Carthy Caja Rural 3rd over the alto de la antigua first pass
Tinkoff Saxo a minute later with Majka 2nd here	Rafal Majka just ahead of Quintana	Quintana
Rodriguez folows Quintana and Majka up the 25% ramps	Kwiatkowski Poland Etixx Quick Step in around 10th first time over
Samu Sanchez BMC in about 20th over the alto de la antigua passes teammate Atapuma	Philippe Gilbert BMC	Thibault Pinot FDJ struggles for balance in around 30th place over the 25% ramps
Monfort Bel Lotto Soudal one of many riders forced to walk the bike up	Frank Schleck Lux Trek forced to walk the bike up Alto de la Antigua	Frank Schleck
FDJ Rider (Roy?) sees the front wheel lose traction and take off on the 25% ramps	Three men sprint finish after lots of climbing and descending: Rodriguez, Henao Quintana in an all Spanish-speaking sprint finish!
Rodriguez goes clear	1st Joaquin RODRIGUEZ (ESP/KATUSHA) in 4:39:02, 2nd Sergio HENAO (COL/SKY) 3rd Nairo QUINTANA (COL/MOVISTAR)	Just like 2011, Rodriguez wins from a small sprint in Zumarraga
Henao checks the gap	Michal Kwiatkowski leads group for 4th place + 7s ahead of Majka	Kwiatkowski 4th
	Majka (Saxo Tinkoff) in 5th place
Bob Jungels Lux Trek finished around 25th place	Your Stage 3 winner, Joaquin RODRIGUEZ (ESP/KATUSHA)
Sergio HENAO (COL/SKY), the new race leader	Sergio HENAO (COL/SKY)	Omar Fraile back in the mountains jersey
Omar Fraile Caja Rural is also in the metas volantes jersey after a long day in the break

Stage 4:  Zumarraga → Arrate, 162 km  Full Results and Report

Stage 4 revelation? Russian youngster Ilnor Zakarin at the morning sign on put in a solid attack on the final climb today	Simon Yates GBR Team Orica Greenedge shares the photographer's view that there should be a young riders jersey (its the 2nd year running he leads competition). He finished 3rd today.	Nairo Quintana was the in the mix today finishing a quiet 7th
Omar Fraile Caja Rural wearing mountains points jersey	First day in the leader's jersey Sergio Henao Team Sky (Colombia)	Stage 4 start scene
Tony Martin	World Champ Michal Kwiatkowski	Stage 4 start scene in Eibar
Tejay Van Garderen during the rollout	Tony Martin Germany / Etixx Quick Step & Tom Danielson in the break on first climb, Alto de Ixua (Arrate climb)	Tony Martin Germany / Etixx Quick Step & Tom Danielson
Peio Bilbao of Caja Rural is dropped by Martin & Danielson from the break	The Peloton	Race leader Sergio Henao Sky / Colombia near the front of the reduced peloton
Philippe Gilbert BMC Belgium dropped on first pass of Arrate	Westra feeling yesterday's effort	Amets Txurruka local hero also looks up and is dropped by GC group
Responsibility falls to mountains leader Fraile to lead the 2nd chase	Stage 2 winner, Fabio Fellini (Trek) wasn't the only rider getting some help on the climbs	Sprint finish after the fast desent in Eibar
Joaquim Rodriguez going clear	Two stage wins in a row...	Joaquin RODRIGUEZ (KATUSHA) wins ahead of 2nd Bauke MOLLEMA (TREK FACTORY RACING) and 3rd Simon YATES (ORICA GreenEDGE)
2nd Bauke MOLLEMA (TREK FACTORY RACING) and 3rd Simon YATES (ORICA GreenEDGE)	The attackers on the final climb, Sergio HENAO (SKY) and Ilnur ZAKARIN (KATUSHA), finished 5th and 8th respectively in the same time as the winner	Simon SPILAK makes it three Katusha riders in the top 12
Michal KWIATKOWSKI (ETIXX - QUICK STEP) leads the next group in for 13th + 23s	At the back of this next group was Darwin ATAPUMA (BMC RACING) 20th + 47s	Esteban Chaves (Greenedge) completes his tradition of crossing himself as he crosses the line in 25th place + 1:56
Belgians 29th Philippe GILBERT (BMC RACING) and 30th Bart DE CLERCQ (LOTTO SOUDAL) + 3:42	Your Stage 4 winner, Joaquin RODRIGUEZ (KATUSHA)	Rodriguez was encouraged to show the local team shirt emblazoned with EH Itzulia (vuelta pais vasco in Basque) - this celebrates the fact that Eibar are in Spains premier League playing the likes of Barcelona & Real Madrid.
The Cava is about to explode		Sergio Henao Team Sky (Colombia) stays in leaders jersey, but still tied on time with Rodriguez

Stage 5:  Eibar → Aia, 156 km  Full Results and Report

Race leader Sergio Henao Team Sky Colombia checks his earpiece before the start	A bit of coastal road today	Henao puts sky to work today in controlling the break & peloton
Katusha closely watch Sky, as they have Rodriguez (obscured), Zakarin, & Spilak all high in on GC		Samu Sanchez BMC shows his gold shoes are back, and seems to be chatting with the crowd
Near the top of teh 30% alto de Aia	Taramae (Estonia/Astana) is first up the fearsome Aia first time round	Taramae
Tim Wellens is next up	Gallopin just ahead of Landa	Mikel Landa 4th up, but looks in control, first pass of Aia wall
Tom Danielson looks to be handling it well	Julien Arredondo Trek Colombia	Michal Kwiatkowski Poland Etixx Quick Step powers clear of the main contenders on the first climb of 30% alto de aia, but it would make him suffer later
Main GC Group, Rodriguez on left, Henao in yellow visible, Zakarin & Yates on the right	Rodriguez on left	Quintana Movistar
Kenny Elissonde previously a winner on the Angliru, still finds Aia hard	To the delight of the Basque crowd, local boy Mikel Landa riding for Astana wins a very tough stage 5	Mikel Landa checks his winning gap
	Tim Wellens Lotto Soudal of Belgium finishes 2nd + 3s	Tom Danielson Cannondale Garmin in the break for 2nd day, and takes 3rd place + 16s
Simon Yates Great Britain / Orica GreenEdge is teh first of teh GC riders to finish in 6th place + 53 beating quintana, rodriguez, henao	Simon Yates is now 3rd overall + 12s	Sergio Henao 7th + 56s keeps the overall lead finishing ahead of Rodriguez and only losing 5 seconds off his lead to Yates
Too much too soon from Kwiatkowski who attacked on first pass of Aia, but paid for it later.	Quintana finished 13th 1:08 losing 15 seconds and his podium place to Yates	Michele Scarponi finished 14th + 1:11 and is 5th overall
Zakarin (Russia) & Jon Izagirre (Spain) finushed 15th & 16th, and are also 7th & 8th in GC	Tejay Van Garderen and Rafal Majka finished 19th & 20th	Mollema slipped to 15th in GC after a fall, the evidence is clearly visible, but he still finished 27th on the stage
Your Stage 5 winner, Mikel Landa Astana, receives the winners kisses	Mikel Landa sprays the winner's cava	Sergio Henao keeps the race lead although his still tied on time with Rodriguez
	Sergio Henao leaves the podium with lipstick marks and a bottle of cava, a good night out in Basque Country before the final day TT with an uphill finish

Stage 6:  Aia → Aia, 18.3 km  Full Results and Report

Louis VERVAEKE (LTS) rock and rolls in his Metas Volantes Jersey for 63rd + 2:46	Andrew Talansky (Cannondale Garmin) can pull a good suffering face too. 26th + + 1:18	Fabio Fellini (Italy - Trek Factory Racing) rode a brillinat TT to finish 6th today + 23s
Benat Intxausti (Spain Movistar) finished 5th today + 21s	Tom DUMOULIN (GIANT - ALPECIN) won the hilly 18.3 km ITT in 28:46	Tom Dumoulin obviously gained the most time on the flatter section
This should have been a good course for Tom Danielson 50th + +2:20	Criterium International champ Jean-Christophe PERAUD, (AG2R LA MONDIALE) finished 13th + 48s	8th Rui COSTA (LAMPRE - MERIDA) + 34s
10th Michal KWIATKOWSKI (ETIXX - QUICK STEP) + 37s	Crowd gets ready local boy Jon Izagirre	Jon Izagirre (Spain Movistar) didn't disappoint; 3rd today + 5s and moved up to 3rd overall
Simon Spilak only managed 27th + 1:19 today	7th Nairo QUINTANA (MOVISTAR) + 30s and slipped off the podium	Simon Yates finished 12th and dropped out of podium contention
Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain Katusha) finished 2nd + 4s and won the overall	Joaquim Rodriguez digging for the uphill line like no else can	Sergio Henao (Sky Colombia) 4th + 17s dropped to 2nd overall +13s
Henao	Your Stage 6 ITT winner, Tom Dumoulin (Dutch TT Champion and 3rd in Worlds TT last year)	Your 2015 overall winner, Joaquin RODRIGUEZ (KATUSHA) 21:49:38, completes a rare GC win
	Joaquim Rodriguez and family celebrate	Rodriguez, Henao, Jon Izagirre complete the podium
		2nd Sergio HENAO (SKY) + 13s, 1st Joaquin RODRIGUEZ (KATUSHA) 21:49:38, 3rd IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI, Jon (MOVISTAR) + 29s