The operations of the Grand Départ have begun in Bilbao ahead of the 110th Tour de France starting on July 1st. The town is dressed in yellow with Basque flags. The Bilbao Exhibition Center welcomes the people who will contribute to the event during the coming three weeks.
The Basque Country, the hot bed of Spanish cycling, hosts the Grand Départ of the Tour de France for the second time. Seven Basque riders including Mikel Landa will line up.
Several protagonists other than the locals have a strong experience of racing in the Basque country. Before Jonas Vingegaard or Julian Alaphilippe who did it recently, the likes of Tom Pidcock, Richard Carapaz and Biniam Girmay got accustomed to these roads at the early stages of their cycling career.
SEVEN BASQUE RIDERS IN CONTENTION
Among the 176 cyclists set to line up on the start line in Bilbao on July 1st, seven are from the Basque Country: Omar Fraile and Jonathan Castroviejo (Ineos Grenadiers), Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Alex Aranburu and Gorka Izagirre (Movistar), Mikel Landa and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious). All of them have competed in the Tour de France previously. Fraile and Ion Izagirre are the last two Spanish stage winners, at Mende in 2018 and Morzine in 2016 respectively. The route of stage 1 features the hometown of two riders: Getxo, at km 25, where Castroviejo was born, and Guernica twice, at km 88 and 126, it’s where Bilbao hails from. Landa is the most famous of the active Basque riders. In five participations to the Tour, he finished four times in the top 7 overall, his best result being fourth in 2017, only one second down on the podium, and in 2020. He’ll start stage 2 from his province of Alava.
“THE FUTURE OF BASQUE CYCLING DEPENDS ON YOU”
Mikel Landa, Ion Izagirre and Alex Aranburu took part in the first pre-Tour de France press conference held at the Bilbao Exhibition Center with questions by thirty children aged from 6 to 12 and sent by the cycling schools of Getxo (Punta Galea TxE) and Berango (Berangoko TxE, associated with Elkar Kirolak). Aranburu recalled that “the Izagirre brothers used to deliver the trophies in some u17 races I took part in.” Landa was questioned about his rest routines. “I usually go to bed around 11pm”, he said. “I sleep between seven and nine hours, and in the afternoon I take a good nap.” Izagirre was asked by a girl if he had female friends who rode a bike. “I have three daughters your age who may one day ride with you”, he replied. The last question was what will be the future of Basque cycling. “It depends on you”, answered Ion Izagirre. “Perhaps, in fifteen years, one of you will be where we are today”, concluded Landa, ending a nice interview that none of these children will ever forget.
THE TOUR IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY, SINCE 1949
It’s the second Grand Départ of the Tour de France in the Basque Country after 1992 in San Sebastian where defending champion Miguel Indurain won the prologue. The first stage on the Spanish side of the Basque Country was won by France’s Louis Caput in 1949, also in San Sebastian. Another stage finish was held in the region’s capital Vitoria in 1977 and was won by local rider José Nazabal from the team sponsored by local soda producer Kas. “We are very proud to be back here because we know that the Basque cycling fans are among the world’s best”, said Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme.
A CYCLING HUB FOR PRO CYCLISTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard won the Itzulia Basque Country in April this year. As part of his preparation for the Tour de France, he took the opportunity to recce the crucial parts of the first two stages. The Jaizkibel, the last climb of stage 2, is very well known by most pro cyclists as it’s also featured on the route of the Clasica San Sebastian, often held on the Saturday following the Tour de France and won in recent years by the likes of Julian Alaphilippe, Michal Kwiatkowski and Adam Yates who are on the provisional start list of the Grande Boucle. Other pro races take place in the Basque Country. Amorebieta, the starting town of stage 3, also has its classic. Rui Costa won it in 2013. Ordizia, at km 105 of stage 2, hosts the Prueba Villafranca where Simon Yates took his second pro win in 2016. Lower ranked events are also numerous in this region. Biniam Girmay was second of the u23 Vuelta al Bidasoa in 2019, a race won in 2008 by Andrey Amador. Richard Carapaz earned his pro contract with Movistar throughout his performances at Subida a Urraki and Prueba de Lazkao in 2016. In younger categories, the international reference is Bizkaiko Itzulia. Many cycling fans discovered Tom Pidcock on this occasion in 2016 as he made the top four of all four stages and was awarded a special price for his consistency by the guest of honour Jonathan Castroviejo who himself won that race in 2004 and 2005, the two being reunited under the banner of Ineos Grenadiers for this Tour de France.
REMEMBERING “THE CRIPPLE FROM BILBAO”
The international history of Basque cycling dates back to the 1910 Tour de France with the participation of Vicente Blanco, known as “el cojo” (the cripple) because he had suffered serious injuries from two work accidents when he left adolescence: a bar heated with a hot iron in the La Basconia factory had damaged his left foot and his right foot had been caught in a gear at the Euskalduna shipyards. He pedalled more easily than he walked, but he had been teased and had difficulty obtaining a cycling license. Spanish national champion in 1908 and 1909, encouraged by the writer Manuel Aranaz Castellanos, he had cycled to Paris (a thousand kilometres from Bilbao) to take the start of the Tour but had finished stage 1 from Paris to Roubaix out of time cut due to lack of food. For a long time, he was considered the first Spaniard to have participated in the Grande Boucle until an investigation in 2004 showed that Joseph Habierre, born José Maria Javierre Rapaun in Aragon, who signed up as a Frenchman in 1909, was still a Spaniard until his naturalization after World War 1.
