The full start list for Itzulia Women 2026 brings together another strong Women’s WorldTour field for three days of racing in the Basque Country from Friday, 15th May to Sunday, 17th May. The race has quickly become one of the most important short stage races on the women’s calendar, and the 2026 edition again looks set to reward riders who can handle repeated climbs, technical roads and aggressive racing.
This year’s race features 19 teams, with 13 Women’s WorldTeams joined by six Women’s ProTeams. That gives Itzulia Women a deep field, but also a varied one. Some teams arrive with clear GC ambitions, others will look for stage wins, and several will try to use the Basque terrain to race aggressively rather than wait for a predictable final climb.
The start list matters because Itzulia Women is rarely controlled in a simple way. The race is short, but the roads are constantly changing. Climbs come quickly, descents can be technical, and the stages usually reward riders who can accelerate repeatedly rather than simply sit in and wait for one major summit finish.
For a broader race overview, our beginner’s guide to Itzulia Women 2026 explains the race format, terrain and why it has become such a useful test for the Women’s WorldTour contenders.
Photo Credit: GettyItzulia Women 2026 teams
The 2026 Itzulia Women start list includes 19 teams. The field is led by a strong Women’s WorldTour presence, with several of the leading stage-race squads expected to shape the GC battle across the three days.
The confirmed teams are:
- AG Insurance-Soudal Team
- Canyon SRAM zondacrypto
- Cofidis Women Team
- EF Education-Oatly
- FDJ-Suez
- Fenix-Premier Tech
- Hitec Products-Fluid Control
- Human Powered Health
- Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi
- Lidl-Trek
- Liv AlUla Jayco
- Ma Petite Entreprise
- Movistar Team
- St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93
- Team Picnic PostNL
- Team SD Worx-Protime
- UAE Team ADQ
- Uno-X Mobility
- Vini Fantini-BePink
That mix should give the race a familiar Itzulia feel. The strongest WorldTour teams will have the responsibility to control the race, but the ProTeams and smaller squads should have enough terrain to attack, especially on stages where the bigger teams hesitate or begin watching each other too closely.
Photo Credit: Itzulia WomenWhy the Itzulia Women start list matters
A start list for Itzulia Women is more than a simple roll call. This is a race where team structure can make a major difference. A rider may have the climbing legs to win, but without teammates to position them before climbs, cover attacks and help through the harder sections, the race can become difficult very quickly.
The 2026 route has three stages and no easy day. Stage 1 starts and finishes in Zarautz, Stage 2 runs from Abadiño to Amorebieta-Etxano, and Stage 3 finishes in Donostia. Across the race, the peloton faces repeated climbs, short recovery periods and enough technical terrain to make positioning essential.
That should favour complete riders. Pure sprinters will have limited opportunities, while pure climbers may still need to cope with fast, punchy racing and constant accelerations. The most dangerous riders are usually those who can climb, descend, sprint from reduced groups and read a race that rarely settles.
What sort of race does Itzulia Women usually create?
Itzulia Women is a race of rhythm changes. The climbs are not always long enough to produce a straightforward mountain selection, but they arrive often enough to wear riders down. That makes the race tactically awkward and physically demanding.
Teams with multiple cards are usually dangerous here. A squad with two or three riders who can climb and finish quickly can attack the race in different ways, forcing rivals to decide who to follow and when to chase. That is especially valuable in a three-day race where there is little time to recover from a mistake.
The Basque roads also reward local knowledge and confidence. Descents, narrow roads, changes in gradient and repeated short climbs all mean the strongest rider on paper does not always get the easiest route to victory. Positioning before the key climbs can be just as important as the attack itself.
For more on how this style of racing works, our guide to how women’s cycling team tactics work explains why teams often use multiple leaders, pressure moves and support riders to shape a race before the final kilometres.
Where the 2026 race could be decided
The final GC will probably be shaped across all three stages rather than one single moment. That is part of what makes Itzulia Women so hard to control. A rider can lose time on the opening day, miss a split on Stage 2 or be forced onto the defensive before the final climbs in Donostia.
Stage 1 around Zarautz should immediately test the field, with repeated climbing and a finish that may suit a reduced group rather than a full peloton. Stage 2 from Abadiño to Amorebieta-Etxano looks like another day where accumulated climbing could produce splits. Stage 3 in Donostia should then provide the final selection, with climbs such as Jaizkibel and Mendizorrotz likely to influence the general classification.
That structure means the start list needs to be read carefully. Teams with several strong climbers can shape the race early, while riders who rely on one big final effort may find the race already complicated before the last stage.
Home interest and the Basque teams
Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi are always an important presence at Itzulia Women because the race sits so closely to their identity. The Basque team will not be expected to control the race in the same way as the biggest WorldTour squads, but they should be motivated to animate it.
That local thread matters. Itzulia Women is not just another Women’s WorldTour stage race dropped into the calendar. It carries a strong Basque identity, with roads, climbs and fan culture that make the race feel distinct. For teams with local connections, visibility here carries extra value.
Movistar also bring Spanish interest, while riders from several teams will see this as a chance to build form ahead of the next stage-race block. With the Women’s WorldTour calendar becoming increasingly competitive, a strong Itzulia performance can be a meaningful marker before the bigger summer targets.
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Photo Credit: RCS
How the start list shapes the tactical picture
The strongest teams in the race will have to decide how early they want to take control. Itzulia Women is short enough that waiting too long can be dangerous, but hard enough that chasing everything can burn through a team before the final stage.
SD Worx-Protime, FDJ-Suez, Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, UAE Team ADQ, Lidl-Trek, Movistar, Liv AlUla Jayco and AG Insurance-Soudal all represent the type of squads who can influence races like this. Their tactics will depend on final rider selection, but the race shape should encourage aggressive use of depth.
Smaller teams have a different route. They may not be able to defend the race from the front, but they can attack into moves, force bigger teams to chase and target stages where the GC favourites hesitate. In a race with this much climbing packed into three days, a well-timed move can quickly become more than a breakaway for exposure.
Why this start list is useful for fans
The start list is the easiest way to understand what kind of Itzulia Women we are likely to get. If the strongest teams bring multiple GC leaders, the race could become very aggressive. If the field leans more towards stage hunters, the breakaways may have more room. If several punchy finishers are present, reduced sprints could become a major part of the story.
It also helps newer fans follow the race from the start. Itzulia Women can be difficult to read because the roads create pressure long before the final climb. Knowing which teams have GC riders, which riders are likely to attack, and which squads have several options makes the racing much easier to understand.
For more background on the wider season, our 2026 Women’s WorldTour guide explains how Itzulia Women fits into the top level of women’s road racing.
Full Itzulia Women 2026 start list
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
