Tour of the Basque Country 2026: a hard-fought week that didn’t end as planned

The Tour of the Basque Country once again delivered a demanding course, unpredictable weather and plenty of tactical twists. Primož spent most of the week near the top of the general classification, but the race took a dramatic turn in the final stage. Strong start and fight for the overall The race began with a demanding time trial in Bilbao, where Primož showed good form and set one of the fastest times, but had to concede to an outstanding Paul Seixas, who took the lead right from the opening stage. In the following stages, Primož rode consistently and gradually established himself among the very best. After stage three, he was firmly in contention for the podium, with realistic chances of attacking for the overall win. Turnaround in the final stage The final stage, held in difficult weather conditions, completely reshuffled the standings. In the rain and on a tough course, Primož lost contact with the front group around 50 kilometers from the finish and was unable to rejoin. He crossed the line more than 23 minutes behind, dropping from podium contention to 16th place overall. The race was won by Frenchman Paul Seixas, who confirmed his status as the biggest surprise of this year’s edition with three stage victories. Looking ahead Despite the disappointment of the final stage, the Tour of the Basque Country also brought positive signs. Primož rode at a high level for most of the week, was competitive with the best and showed solid form ahead of upcoming season goals. This time, it was the final stage that changed the entire picture. Conclusion “A tough week at the Tour of the Basque Country that broke me in the end — I simply ran out of legs. Disappointed, but the white flag is not up. We move on. We keep fighting. Thanks to all the fans for your support, it means a lot to me. I know it’s not always easy. See you soon. Rog on!”