Jonas Vingegaard seals Itzulia Basque Country title with rampaging third stage win
Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of the final stage of the 2023 Itzulia Basque Country
The stage is waved underway and this has the potential to be a breathless final day of racing.
Jimmy Jansens (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Nicolas Prodhomme (AG2R) are the first attackers but it's a zippy start and no one is going anywhere for now.
After 10km we start the climbing fest, and it barely lets up, with seven significant climbs on today's menu.
We're about to hit the first climb, the short cat-3 Elkorrieta.
It's 2.6km at an average gradient of 6.7%
After that, it's pretty much straight onto the more serious task of the cat-1 Azurki, which measures 5.1km at 7.4%
These climbs should provide the launchpad for a breakaway but we should see some big names try to move early on a treacherous finale.
We reach the top of Elkorrieta and Caja Rural's Jon Barrenetxea, who's already in the mountains jersey, skips away to bolster his lead in that classification.
We have more attacks on Azurki, which should see some sort of break form.
We have a strong nine-man move going clear:
Steven Kruijswijk, Attila Valter (Jumbo-Visma)
Valentin Paret-Peintre (AG2R)
Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe)
Harm Vanhoucke (DSM)
Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost)
Bruno Armirail (Groupama-FDJ)
Ruben Guerreiro (Movistar)
Felix Großschartner (UAE Team Emirates)
Interesting to see two Jumbo riders in there, and two strong ones at that. Vingegaard is using two domestiques as pawns who can potentially be called upon later on today. It shows the Dutch team aren't going to purely try and stifle and control this race, but roll with its inherent chaos.
We have another group going clear of the bunch now. In there we see:
James Knox, Andrea Bagioli (Soudal-QuickStep)
Dani Martinez (Ineos)
Eddie Dunbar (Jayco-AlUla)
Amanuel Gebreigzabhier (Trek-Segafredo)
Marc Hirschi (UAE) is also on the move.
Those two groups have merged in the upper slopes of the climb, but Grossschartner and Gebreigzabhier have been dropped.
Rein Taaramae (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) is another rider up the road. We'll bring you the full and final composition shortly as it looks like this is sticking.
Over the top of the Azurki climb and these riders have opened two minutes on the peloton.
Kruijswijk led the race over the top of the Azkuri climb.
We have 12 riders reported in the front group now:
Steven Kruijswijk, Attila Valter (Jumbo-Visma)
Dani Martinez (Ineos Grenadiers)
Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates)
Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost)
Bruno Armirail (Groupama-FDJ)
Ruben Guerreiro (Movistar)
Eddie Dunbar (Jayco-AlUla)
Valentin Paret-Peintre (AG2R)
Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe)
Harm Vanhoucke (DSM)
Rein Taaramae (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty)
100km to go
37km gone and we reach the bottom of the Azurki descent. It's now time for the Gorla climb, which is 9.6km long at 5.7%.
The peloton has picked up the pace and the gap nudges down to 1:35.
The best-placed GC rider in this breakaway is Buchmann, who started the day 15th at 1:37. He is on the cusp of being the virtual overall leader on the road.
Over the Gorla climb and it's Guerreiro who's first to the top this time. The Portuguese rider moves to 14 points overall, 21 shy of Barrenetxea's mountains classification lead. There are just about enough points left on the road to make him a threat.
83km to go
The gap between break and bunch stands at 1:40.
The riders have come off the Gorla descent and are now riding back into Eibar on a rare bit of sustained flat. After that, though, it's out for the fearsome Krabelin climb.
Onto Krabelin now and this will sting, 5km long at 9.6%.
The gap has come down on the flat, and it ducks below the minute mark.
The breakaway explodes on this steep climb. Kruijswijk, Chaves, and Guerreiro go clear.
This trio come into the final kilometre of the Krabelin and most of the other breakaway riders have been caught by the bunch.
Hermann Pernsteiner is leading the bunch for Bahrain and second-placed Mikel Landa, with Vingegaard poised in second wheel.
Guerreiro leads the race to the top of the Krabelin, adding 10 more points to his mountains classification tally. That takes him to 24 points and 11 shy of the KOM jersey. There's another cat-1 climb and two more cat-3s, so a maximum total of 16 points left.
66km to go
Valter is trying to get back to the front three on the descent. He's one of the very few to hang on on that climb.
Valter joins them to make it four out front, two of them Jumbo-Visma riders. They've played this perfectly so far.
65km and three climbs to go and the situation is as follows:
- 4-man break: Valter, Kruijswijk, Chaves, Guerreiro
- Reduced Peloton: led by Bahrain Victorious, at 45 seconds
The gap nudges down to 35 seconds. Pernsteiner is doing a hell of a ride for Landa so far.
Nature break for the race leader and the gap to the break goes back out to one minute.
50km to go
Into the final 50 and our four-man break has a lead of one minute over the reduced bunch.
We're now heading towards the Trabakua climb, which is 3.3km long at 7.1%
We have a counter-attack now, with Mauro Schmid (QuickStep), Igor Arrieta (Kern Pharma), and Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies) trying to bridge to the break.
The leaders - Kruijswijk, Valter, Guerreiro, Chaves - hit the Trabakua climb.
Chaves leads the front group over the top of the climb - surprising not to see Guerreiro any higher than third there. Just the one point for him there and he'll have to be first to the top of the next cat-1 climb to take the KOM jersey.
Cofidis have lent a hand to the chase as the gap to the bunch goes out to 1:25.
Mauro Schmid is the last survivor from that counter-attack and he's not farr off the front of the race here.
40km to go
Schmid makes it in! Five out front now.
Chaves accelerates on a punchy ramp.
Schmid goes after him and the others are flagging and looking at each other.
Valter is dropped as Guerreiro and Kruijswijk work their way back.
Simon Geschke is leading the bunch, working for Cofidis' Ion Iazguirre, who started the day 6th at 34 seconds.
Two proper climbs remaining and we should see some fireworks on the Izua, the next cat-1 ascent. Landa and others have to do something there.
Valter comes back as cooperation wanes up front. Chaves is looking for assistance but not finding much.
Chaves is waving his arms in remonstration. He's not happy with the others here. Kruijswijk and Valter have an excuse - their leader is in the bunch behind, but the other two are trying to hide for now.
Schmid attacks!
That's Chaves' worst nightmare. He was shouldering the work, complaining, only to be hit by a sly attack.
32km to go
The road tilts uphill ahead of our next climb. Schmid has found 30 seconds on the rest of the break. The bunch are a further 45 seconds down.
Groupama-FDJ have appeared on the front of the bunch - first we've seen of them today (although they did try to post a man in the break earlier). They have David Gaudu fourth overall at 32 seconds.
Chaves lights it up and Valter is dropped again.
Schmid started the day 16th at 1:40. He's slipping now, though, as the others come back to within 20 seconds.
The climb begins!
Izua is 4.1km long at 9.2%
Chaves keeps the pressure on and the others are struggling.
Vingegaard attacks!
The race leader pings out as the bunch hit the climb
Vingegaard finds Valter, who lends some support.
Enric Mas goes after Vingegaard but no one else can live with him at the moment.
Vingegaard uses Valter and now finds Kruijswijk. Expert stuff from Jumbo-Visma so far.
Kruijswijk is used up and now Vingegaard goes again!!!
Vicious acceleration and Mas can't follow this one. Luckily he has his own satellite rider from the break, Guerreiro, who he leans on now.
Vingegaard works his way over to Chaves and Schmid. That's the front of the race.
Still 1500 metres to the top of this climb and Vingegaard comes through and drops both Chaves and Guerreiro.
Mas leaves Guerreiro and sets off in pursuit. Landa, Izaguirre, and Higuita are further behind.
Vingegaard heads to the top of the climb, amid a sea of Basque fans. A pre-taster of this year's Tour de France start.
26.8km to go
Vingegaard leads the race alone over the peak of Izua. He has around 35 seconds in hand.
40 seconds is the gap to the next group, which includes most of the other big names now banded together.
In the chase are:
Landa, Izaguirre, Mas, Higuita, Chaves, Schmid. There's also Simon Yates just about staying in contact and a couple of others who joined at the top.
23km to go
Vingegaard is nailing this sweeping descent. The gap grows to 45 seconds and this is an emphatic final-day display.
One climb remains after this descent, the Ukaregi, but it's only a cat-3 climb.
55 seconds for Vingegaard now as he prepares to start the final climb. This is done.
17km to go
The Urkaregi climb begins. It's 5km long at 4.8%.
Vingegaard extends his lead on the lower slopes - 1:18 now!
Brandon McNulty (UAE) has attacked from the chase with Felix Gall (AG2R).
Mas eases out as the rest of the chase scrambles after the two attackers. The real race is now the one for the podium.
Izaguirre attacks after Mas dragged him, Landa, and Higuita across.
Gaudu and Yates can't follow - they're not at their usual level here.
Vingegaard still has 1:18 as he enters the final kilometre of this climb.
Gaudu, Yates, and James Knox make it back up to that chase group.
12.5km to go
Izaguirre attacks again as Vingegaard goes over the top of the Urkaregi climb.
Nothing doing as the chase remains together.
A short descent now then a light drag to the finish. Vingegaard is sailing to stage and overall honours.
Final 10km and this is just about the minor podium places now.
Vingegaard is making no mistake on this descent. His lead dips to 1:14 but he's just 7km away from victory.
Vingegaard finishes the descent and pops out into Eibar, just the final few kilometres to tick off.
5km to go and the gap is down to one minute, but the chasers are all looking at each other.
Chaves attacks!
He only got back on on the descent. He's been in the break all day. What a ride
Schmid - also back in - marks him. Deja vu. And the chase comes back together.
Knox is the next to attack from the chase.
2km to go for Vingegaard.
He's blowing kisses to the camera
Here he comes, into the barriers and into the final 300m.
Vingegaard sits up, raises his arms wide, and crosses the line. He wins the stage and the overall.
Knox is still away and comes in for second place. He might gain some positions here
But the rest of the chase come close in the final straight, with Izaguirre taking third place.
Results
"It was a hard day, but a really good day for us," Vingegaard says after sealing his first week-long stage race victory at WorldTour level.
"Once again I have to thank my teammates, today they were amazing, they really locked up the race, having two guys in the break. We did a perfect job today I think.
"I was thinking if I have to go it's on the second last climb because last one was not hard enough to make a big difference. I had the legs and I wanted to try."
