Itzulia Basque Country 2026 Stage 2: Paul Seixas goes back-to-back with dominant win

How the stage was won

Stage 2, from Pamplona-Iruña to Cuevas de Mendukilo, always looked like the first proper test of the general classification, and Seixas raced it that way. Rather than waiting for the final few hundred metres, he attacked with around 7km remaining on the final Category 1 climb, opened a gap quickly and then kept pressing all the way to the line.

Behind him, the favourites never found a coordinated response. What began as a bold move became a decisive victory. Seixas did not just climb clear, he handled the technical run-in smoothly and still had enough left to extend his advantage rather than merely defend it. On a day when the strongest riders were supposed to begin revealing themselves, he was the standout.

A huge swing in the general classification

The win changed the shape of the race. After already taking time in the opening time trial, Seixas added another major chunk on the first mountain day and moved into a general classification lead of 1:59 over Roglič, with Florian Lipowitz next at 2:08.

Those are serious margins at this stage of a one-week race, especially when the rider in front is also the one showing the best legs. Roglič remained close enough to stay relevant, but from this point onwards the race was no longer being run on his terms. Seixas could afford to be more reactive when needed, while his rivals now had to find a way to take time from a rider who had already shown he could win on very different terrain.

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More than a breakout ride

There is always a temptation to dismiss a performance like this as youthful surprise, but stage 2 felt more substantial than that. Seixas did not win because others hesitated too long at the end. He won because he made the decisive move, judged it perfectly and sustained it over the hardest section of the stage.

That is not opportunism. It is control.

At 19, he already looked like a rider capable of shaping a stage race rather than simply surviving in one. Stage 1 had suggested he belonged at this level. Stage 2 suggested he could dominate it.

What stage 2 means for the rest of Itzulia Basque Country 2026

Itzulia Basque Country is rarely decided this early, but stage 2 gave the race a very clear centre of gravity. Seixas now had two stage wins from two days and a sizeable overall lead, while the more established contenders were already being forced onto the back foot.

That does not end the race, but it does change its tone. From here, every stage became as much about whether anyone could crack Seixas as about who could win the day.

For the rest of the field, the task was obvious. They needed to attack him, unsettle him and force him into mistakes. Based on stage 2, that looked far easier to say than to do.