Dani Martinez takes overall victory at Tour of Basque Country, Ion Izaguirre thrills home fans with stage win
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Published 10/04/2022 at 09:03 GMT
Dani Martinez (Ineos Grenadiers) proved the strongest at the finish to claim overall victory at the Tour of the Basque Country. He pounced on Remco Evenepoel's (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) struggles on the climbs, while the home fans were treated to something special as Ion Izaguirre (Cofidis) climbed off the floor to win the stage.
Highlights of Itzulia Basque Country as Martinez takes title after stage win for Izaguirre
The Tour of the Basque Country rarely fails to excite and the final stage of 2022 was no different, with Dani Martinez (Ineos Grenadiers) taking glory after Remco Evenepoel (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) blew up on the tough climbs.
A matter of 24 hours earlier, it was Evenepoel who pounced on the problems suffered by Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) to take the yellow jersey going into the final stage.
The Queen Stage was always likely to be decisive, with a string of brutal climbs to contend with.
Ineos controlled the pace for much of the stage, but Roglic took on a super-domestique role for team-mate Jonas Vingegaard and blew the race open with a stinging assault on the Krabelin with under 50km to run.
Roglic’s move tested the legs of many, and left Evenepoel on the ropes. The Belgian and Martinez were dropped on the descent, but worked together to get back to an elite group heading to the foot of the final climb up the Usartza.
Ion Izaguirre (Cofidis) had an outside chance of overall glory, but his target was a stage win in front of his adoring Basque fans.
Izaguirre kicked things off on the climb which immediately put Evenepoel in trouble - a hole he would never recover from.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2022/04/09/3352510-68530468-2560-1440.jpg)
‘Maybe I will cry tonight but not now’ - Evenepoel disappointed to miss out on victory
With Evenepoel distanced, Martinez had the race in the bag provided he avoided any trouble.
It was Izaguirre who met a problem, as he clipped wheels with Vingegaard and hit the deck. But he amazingly picked himself up, charged through the hordes of fans who lined the road to take the stage win - with Martinez crossing the line shortly afterwards to secure the race victory.
While there was joy for Martinez and Izaguirre, it was a day of what-ifs for Evenepoel.
“I lose the podium with five seconds, “ Evenepoel said in an interview on Eurosport. “I am sad.
It has been a brutal day.
“I felt good on every climb but the steep one killed my legs a bit.
“I risked my life in the downhill, which I could do.
“Being fourth with losing the podium in five seconds, and 20 seconds to first place, is painful but it is not the end of the life.”
Stage 6 - Eibar to Alto de Arrate
- 1 - Ion Izagirre Insausti (Cofidis) - 3:47:07
- 2 - Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) - same time
- 3 - Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) - same time
- 4 - Daniel Martinez (Ineos Grenadiers) - same time
- 5 - Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) - 0:00:03
- 6 - Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) - +13
- 7 - Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) - +24
- 8 - Juan Pedro Lopez Perez (Trek-Segafredo) - +52
- 9 - Davide Formolo (UAE Team Emirates) - +29
- 10 - Felix Gall (AG2R Citroen) - +1:41
General Classification
- 1 - Daniel Martinez (Ineos Grenadiers) - 21:59:36
- 2 - Ion Izagirre Insausti (Cofidis) - +11 seconds
- 3 - Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) - +16
- 4 - Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) - +21
- 5 - Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) - +32
- 6 - Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) - +32
- 7 - Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) - +1.26
- 8 - Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) - +3:18
- 9 - Enric Mas Nicolau (Movistar) - +3:55
- 10 Rigoberto Uran (EF Education-EasyPost) - +5:03
---
Watch the Amstel Gold and other top cycling live on Eurosport and discovery+.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement