Itzulia presented what will be the 6th stage of the race, with a length of 137.8 km, 7 mountain passes and over 3,600 m of elevation gain.
The Itzulia Basque Challenge 2023, the first bicycle touring race, to be held in Eibar, was also announced at the presentation.
This morning, the Plenary Hall of Eibar City Council hosted the presentation of the 6th stage of Itzulia 2023, which was attended by the Mayor, Jon Iraola, the Councillor for Sports, Ander Curiel, the President of OCETA, Julián Eraso, and the technical director of Itzulia, Roberto Laiseka.
This last stage of the race, which will start and finish in Eibar on 8 April, is 137.8 km long, with an elevation gain of over 3,600 m. Notably, the finish line will not be in Arrate this year, but rather in the city centre.
It will be the final stage of the 2023 edition, with a total of 7 scoring mountain passes, 3 of which are category 1. Thus, the Azurki, Gorla and Krabelin mountain passes will be climbed anew. The latter, with its steep gradients, could once again decide the race, as in previous years. The penultimate pass of the day will be Izua, back on the route after several years of absence from Itzulia.
In the words of mayor Jon Iraola, “as mayor of a city so closely linked to cycling where the sport is integral to our industrial and historical heritage, we are proud that, once again, Eibar will be the location of the most decisive stage of Itzulia. Even though this year we won’t be able to enjoy the finish line in Arrate, it will be just as exciting to see how the riders put themselves to the test in one of the most demanding of races, this year bringing cycling to the very heart of our city. Eibar City Council will maintain its commitment to bring this important race on the cycling calendar to our city”.
For his part, the councillor for Sports, Ander Curiel, pointed out that “this race is another example of why Eibar has been chosen as European City of Sport 2023. Our city is the cradle of cycling and, therefore, we will always be committed to hosting top-level cycling competitions”.
Finally, OCETA President, Julián Eraso, stated “we are delighted that Eibar continues to support top-level cycling and has welcomed us for what will be the final of Itzulia 2023. Eibar has been and continues to be very important for both Basque and international cycling and we are delighted to be able to continue visiting and organising top-level races there”.
Itzulia Basque Challenge Routes
The press conference also featured the presentation of Itzulia Basque Challenge 2023, the first Itzulia bicycle touring event, set to take place in Eibar on 9 April.
The race includes two different routes, one, World Tour, which follows the same final stage route used by the professional riders, and the other, a shorter and less demanding route, Middle-distance, with a length of 80.6 km, an elevation gain of over 2,100 m, and 4 mountain passes (two Category 1, one Category 2 and lastly a Category 3).
The event was organised between Eibar Town City Council and Itzulia, on the occasion of the recognition of Eibar as the European City of Sport 2023.
In the words of mayor Jon Iraola, “as soon as the president of Itzulia approached us with the possibility of staging this event, we didn’t hesitate. We want Eibar to be a benchmark for top-level sport this year, and attract other events that we have been unable to enjoy in our city to date. I am convinced that cycling enthusiasts will have a lot of fun taking part in this race”.
Registration for Itzulia Basque Challenge 2023 is now open.
