Paul Seixas won the time trial in Bilbao and became the first leader of the race.
Bilbao hosted the Itzulia five years on from the last time it did so, following the same route but in completely different circumstances. The Itzulia used the same time trial route as in 2021, but this time with spectators.
The cyclists were greeted with sunshine and heat and faced an arduous climb to the finish line ahead of them. The hot favourites would have to wait their turn to start, as usual, except for Primoz Roglic, who chose to start among the early riders.
The first riders set off; the 2026 Itzulia had begun. Ion Izagirre set a good first time of 18’10”. But then Roglic, the Slovenian rider from the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team, blew that away with a finish time of 17’37”. Riders came and went, but he kept his spot in the hot seat until the French prodigy Paul Seixas of the Decathlon CMA CGM Team crossed the line. He managed to come home in a time of 17’09”. More riders reached the finish line, getting closer to the fastest time, but still some way off Seixas’s time.
It was then the turn of some of the other favourites for the overall classification, such as Isaac Del Toro and Juan Ayuso. Both riders lost time at the first checkpoint to the French cyclist. Ayuso gave it his all in the second half of the time trial, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap on Seixas. Isaac Del Toro finished ahead of him but was unable to improve on the fastest time.
In the end, Paul Seixas won the first stage of the 2026 Itzulia, his first victory in this race. As an added bonus, he will wear the yellow jersey during tomorrow’s stage. Roglic was 28” behind him, with Del Toro at 51” and Ayuso at 1’16”.
Classification after the first stage
Stage winner: Paul Seixas (DCT, 61)
Overall classification: Paul Seixas (DCT, 61)
Mountain classification: Paul Seixas (DCT, 61)
Points classification: Paul Seixas (DCT, 61)
Young rider classification: Paul Seixas (DCT, 61)
Team classification: INEOS Grenadiers
Combativity award: Paul Seixas (DCT, 61)
