French cyclists claim a hat-trick of stage wins in the Itzulia.
Axel Laurance wins the third stage of the Itzulia after escaping from the breakaway.
Stage 3 of the 2026 Itzulia, Basauri–Basauri, 152 km with three mountain passes ahead. A stage that seems straightforward on paper: perfect for a breakaway, yet with an unpredictable finish.
It took some time for the day’s breakaway to form, with numerous attempts and many top-level teams and riders eager to join in. But it wasn’t until the 60-kilometre mark that 11 riders finally achieved a small lead over the peloton. Behind them, Euskaltel-Euskadi worked to close the gap to the breakaway and to send Bizkarra and Lastra in pursuit. In the end, they succeeded in taking the lead. The maximum lead by the breakaway was 2 minutes.
The peloton, led by Decathlon CMA CGM and Cofidis, kept the race under control to prevent the breakaway from gaining any ground. The general classification wasn’t at risk, but the stage win was.
With 37 kilometres remaining, the breakaway held a 1 minute 45 second lead over the peloton. More teams were starting to move up toward the front of the peloton. A fast finish was on the cards, and everyone wanted to be well positioned. With 3 km to go before the summit of Bikotx Gane, Jardi Van Der Lee (EFE, 175) launched an attack from the breakaway, followed by Lorenzo Fortunato (XAT, 12), Igor Arrieta (UAD, 33) and Tobias Halland Johannessen (UXM, 202). The gap widened to two minutes, though the breakaway eventually regrouped.
Behind them, the pace was increasing, the gap to the front was closing, and Juan Ayuso was losing contact with the peloton. On the descent, the breakaway once again extended its lead. Igor Arrieta (UAD, 33) and Axel Laurance (IGD, 185) were at the front, holding a small advantage over the rest of the breakaway.
With just 16 km remaining, Arrieta and Laurance were 2 minutes 56 seconds ahead of the peloton and 30 seconds clear of the chasing group. The breakaway was poised to contest the stage at the finish in Basauri.
In the final kilometres of the stage, it was shaping up to be a head-to-head between Arrieta and Laurance – the chasing group over 1 minute 10 seconds behind – and the leading duo showed no signs of slowing
The final climb of the day, finishing at the line, decided the winner of Stage 3. Axel Laurance (IGD, 185) eventually claimed victory in a hard-fought finale. The gaps in the general classification remained unchanged, and Paul Seixas retained the yellow jersey for another day.
Standings after Stage 3
Stage winner: Axel Laurance (IGD, 185)
General Classification: Paul Seixas (DCT, 61)
Mountain classification: Joan Bou (CJR, 156)
Points classification: Paul Seixas (DCT, 61)
Young rider classification: Paul Seixas (DCT, 61)
Teams classification: XDS Astana Team
Award for Fighting Spirit: Igor Arrieta (UAD, 33)
