Published on : 04/07/2026
On stage 2 between Pamplona (Iruña) and Cuevas de Mendukilo (164.1 km), the route offered a demanding terrain with nearly 2,800 meters of elevation gain, including the key climb of San Miguel Aralar (9.5 km at 7.7%).
An early breakaway of seven riders quickly took the lead, gaining up to two minutes on the peloton. The race intensified around 30 kilometers from the finish on the slopes of San Miguel Aralar. Well positioned, Ion Izagirre followed the chasing group and tried to bridge the gap in the finale, but couldn’t make it back to the leaders. He finished 7th on the stage and moves up to 7th overall in the general classification.
Sports director’s reaction, Gorka Gerrikagoitia:
“During the first part of the stage, the goal was to stay together and protect our leaders, especially Ion Izagirre, to put him in the best possible position before the San Miguel Aralar climb. The race really came down to this climb, around 20 kilometers from the finish, with the attack from Paul Seixas. On our side, we rode our race with Ion Izagirre in the chasing group. Ion was very strong today. He finished 7th on the stage and moves up to 7th overall. The team did a good job today. Tomorrow will be a completely different stage, we’ll see how the race unfolds.”