Itzulia Basque Country 2026 team-by-team guide

Itzulia Basque Country 2026 arrives at one of the most revealing points of the spring. The cobbled races are fading into the background, the Grand Tour conversation is starting to come into focus, and this is often the week where teams begin to show what kind of shape they are really carrying into the next phase of the season. With six stages from Bilbao to Bergara, the race looks set to reward depth, climbing resilience and tactical flexibility rather than one overwhelming summit finish or one dominant rider simply taking control and holding it.

That is what makes the team balance so important this year. Itzulia is rarely won by reputation alone. The route usually forces repeated efforts, awkward changes of rhythm and climbing pressure that can expose teams built around only one clear plan. The strongest squads are often the ones that can protect a leader, create pressure with a second card, and still react when the race refuses to follow the expected script.

Itzulia Basque Country 2026 team-by-team guide

Soudal Quick-Step

Soudal Quick-Step bring one of the most complete-looking GC squads in the race. Mikel Landa gives them the obvious Basque focal point, while Maximilian Schachmann adds stage-race craft and time trial strength. Ilan Van Wilder and Steff Cras also mean they are not tied to a one-rider plan, which matters in a race where illness, one bad climb or one awkward split can change the whole shape of the week. Ethan Hayter adds another layer if one of the punchier stages becomes more tactical than selective. On paper, this is one of the deepest teams in the race.

XDS Astana Team

Astana look built for aggressive climbing and opportunism. Harold Tejada, Lorenzo Fortunato and Sergio Higuita all suit a race shaped by repeated steep efforts rather than long alpine climbs, while Christian Scaroni gives them another rider capable of turning a hilly stage into something selective. This is not the deepest team in the race, but it is one of the most dangerous if the bigger squads hesitate and the week starts to fragment.

Groupama-FDJ

Groupama-FDJ do not arrive with the most obvious outright favourite, but Guillaume Martin gives them a proven general classification reference point for this sort of terrain. Around him, the line-up feels more durable than spectacular, with Quentin Pacher, Enzo Paleni and Brieuc Rolland likely to matter most in the harder, more attritional phases. Their route to a strong week probably depends on consistency rather than domination.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG

UAE look exceptionally strong. Isaac del Toro is the headline attraction, but Brandon McNulty, Marc Soler and Felix Großschartner mean they can play this race through multiple leaders and multiple scenarios. Igor Arrieta and Adrià Pericas add extra climbing depth, while Domen Novak gives them another reliable worker for the tougher transitional stages. This is exactly the sort of squad that can turn Itzulia into a race of constant pressure rather than one decisive move in the final kilometres.

Lidl-Trek

Lidl-Trek have brought one of the most intriguing teams in the field. Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose both look like genuine overall contenders, while Lennard Kämna gives them a third rider who can still become important if the race opens unexpectedly. Thibau Nys adds punch and stage-winning potential, and Quinn Simmons can help make the week more uncomfortable before the final climbs. Few teams have more ways to shape the race.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe

Primož Roglič immediately makes Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe one of the central teams in the race. Haimar Etxeberria adds local interest and support on the climbs, while Luke Tuckwell and Frederik Wandahl strengthen the line-up for a week that should favour riders comfortable on persistent uphill terrain. Finn Fisher-Black gives them another useful card on the punchier stages. The structure here is fairly clear. This is Roglič’s race to lead, with the team built to keep him in position and protect him into the decisive moments.

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale

Decathlon look like one of the more interesting outsider teams. Paul Seixas brings enormous promise, Matthew Riccitello should enjoy this terrain, and Aurélien Paret-Peintre strengthens the climbing core further. This does not yet feel like the most polished stage-race team in the field, but it is one that could easily leave with a stage win or a breakout GC ride if the race becomes aggressive enough.

Burgos Burpellet BH

For Burgos Burpellet BH, the realistic target is visibility, breakaways and perhaps a strong stage from the right move. Ander Okamika and José Manuel Díaz are the names that stand out most for terrain like this, while the wider line-up looks geared more towards animation than overall control. A major GC result would be a surprise, but a good week can still mean being present in the race’s decisive stories.

Equipo Kern Pharma

Kern Pharma arrive with a line-up that feels well-suited to Itzulia’s harsher rhythms. Iván Sosa is the obvious name if the climbing bites hard enough, while Iñigo Elosegui and Unai Iribar should be useful on roads of this type. As with several ProTeams here, the challenge is not talent but depth compared with the biggest squads. Their best route to relevance is likely through aggressive racing rather than patience.

Movistar Team

Movistar look built around Cian Uijtdebroeks, and Itzulia feels like a logical race for him. Javier Romo adds another serious card on hilly terrain, while Nelson Oliveira brings stage-race control and experience. Natnael Tesfatsion and Jorge Arcas deepen the team further. This is not the flashiest squad in the field, but it is one that could become more dangerous as the week wears on if Uijtdebroeks finds his level early.

Team Picnic PostNL

Team Picnic PostNL have brought a team that feels more suited to selective stage hunting than to an outright GC challenge. Warren Barguil and Matthew Dinham are the obvious names for hilly terrain, while James Knox gives them another rider with the right profile for this race. The issue is whether they have the overall depth to stay in the general classification conversation throughout the week. They look more like a team that could win a stage than one that controls the race.

Bahrain Victorious

Bahrain Victorious have a very credible team for Itzulia. Pello Bilbao on home roads is the standout name, and Antonio Tiberi gives them a second genuine overall option. Rainer Kepplinger strengthens the climbing support, while the rest of the line-up looks robust enough to manage a demanding week. This is the sort of squad that could quietly ride itself onto the podium if others become too fixated on the biggest favourites.

Alpecin-Premier Tech

Alpecin-Premier Tech are not built like a classic GC superteam here, but they do have several interesting options. Francesco Busatto and Emiel Verstrynge suit punchier uphill terrain, while Hugo Houle brings experience and support. This feels more like a team for selective stage wins and opportunistic racing than for carrying the overall favourite, but Itzulia often rewards exactly that kind of flexibility.

Tudor Pro Cycling Team

Tudor arrive with Julian Alaphilippe as the headline attraction, and that alone makes them fascinating. Marco Brenner is also very well suited to this race, while Fabian Weiss gives them another rider who can survive hilly, irregular stages. Alaphilippe may not be the most obvious GC rider in the field, but on the right terrain he remains exactly the type of rider who can reshape a stage and force others to react.

Cofidis

Cofidis bring a team with a distinctly Basque flavour through Ion Izagirre and Alex Aranburu. Emanuel Buchmann adds stage-race depth and climbing experience, which makes this a more balanced line-up than it might first appear. They are unlikely to dominate the week, but they have enough quality to matter on the right stages and enough experience to take advantage if the GC battle becomes messy.

Caja Rural-Seguros RGA

Caja Rural-Seguros RGA are another team whose best route into the race is likely through aggression. Fernando Barceló and Alex Molenaar are the names that stand out most, while the local flavour in the line-up should make them highly motivated all week. As with the other invited Spanish ProTeams, success here is more about shaping stages and taking opportunities than following the top GC squads all the way to Bergara.

Euskaltel-Euskadi

Euskaltel-Euskadi’s role in Itzulia always carries extra emotional weight, and this line-up has enough local identity to feed that. Mikel Bizkarra, Txomin Juaristi and Jonathan Lastra all know this terrain well, while the team as a whole looks built to animate the race rather than defend a high overall placing. On home roads, that can still make them one of the week’s most visible teams.

EF Education-EasyPost

EF arrive with a serious and very interesting team. Ben Healy is the obvious focal point for a race shaped by punch and aggression, while Archie Ryan, Lukas Nerurkar and James Shaw give them multiple climbers who can matter across the week. Markel Beloki adds local interest. This does not feel like a conservative GC structure. It feels more like a team prepared to race dynamically, which could suit Itzulia very well.

INEOS Grenadiers

INEOS have brought an intriguing but slightly unconventional group. Michał Kwiatkowski remains the obvious road captain figure, while Axel Laurance and Andrew August give them a younger, punchier edge than some rival GC squads. Victor Langellotti can also enjoy this sort of terrain. The question is whether they have a true overall contender at the level of the strongest teams, or whether this is more a line-up for selective stages and opportunism.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike

Visma’s line-up is solid but not as obviously dominant as some of their biggest stage-race squads. Ben Tulett is the rider who makes the most sense for the overall classification, while Steven Kruijswijk and Bruno Armirail bring support and experience. Louis Barré is another interesting inclusion for punchier terrain. This feels more like a balanced, opportunistic week-long team than one arriving with the undisputed favourite.

Uno-X Mobility

Uno-X have brought one of the more interesting outsider teams. Tobias Halland Johannessen is the standout name for the overall classification, while Andreas Kron and Magnus Cort give them stage-winning options from more tactical race scenarios. Anders Halland Johannessen deepens the climbing side further. That mix makes them dangerous, especially if the week becomes fragmented and rewards teams that can still play several cards.

Lotto-Intermarché

Lotto-Intermarché look built around youth and upside. Jarno Widar is the obvious centrepiece and one of the most intriguing names in the whole race, while Georg Zimmermann gives them a more established climbing reference point. Reuben Thompson adds another rider who could matter in the harder terrain. This is not the safest team in the field, but it may be one of the most interesting if Widar proves ready for the level.

Who looks strongest?

On pure depth, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Lidl-Trek and Soudal Quick-Step stand out most. UAE can race through Del Toro, McNulty or Soler depending on how the week develops, Lidl-Trek have the hugely attractive Ayuso-Skjelmose pairing, and Quick-Step arrive with a line-up that goes well beyond just one leader. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe belong in that top bracket too because Roglič gives them the single clearest reference point in the race.

Best outsiders

Bahrain Victorious, EF Education-EasyPost, Uno-X Mobility and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale look best placed to disrupt the more obvious hierarchy. Bahrain have the Bilbao-Tiberi pairing, EF have Healy and a team that can race aggressively, Uno-X have real tactical range, and Decathlon have enough young climbing talent to turn this into a breakout week.

For readers following the wider spring on ProCyclingUK, this piece sits naturally alongside the Full start list for 2026 Itzulia Basque Country Tour, the Men’s Paris-Roubaix 2026 route guide, the A brief history of Men’s Amstel Gold Race, and the Beginner’s guide to Men’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2026, as the season shifts from the cobbles towards hillier one-day races and more demanding stage-race terrain.