The 3rd stage of the Tour du Pays Basque was full of events on Wednesday. Considered one of the main competitors of Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) for the final victory, Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) retired following a fall at the 70th kilometer. The Mexican appeared with wounds and a torn suit. As a reminder, he was 2’44 behind the French prodigy before the day.
Axel Laurance (INEOS Grenadiers) won after escaping 30 kilometers from the finish with Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates – XRG), teammate of Del Toro. The two men quickly took a thirty-second lead then, in the last kilometer, they competed in the sprint, launched by the Spaniard. The Frenchman showed himself to be the most powerful in the last meters and was able to raise his arms. Arrieta is 2nd, Natnael Tesfatsion (MOV) completes the podium.
Seixas smiles again at Basauri
At the end of a short and demanding loop of 153.3 km around Basauri, a new French victory took shape, with Axel Laurance, stronger in the final sprint. He was able to show himself to be the strongest on this race with a very uneven profile, particularly in the final, on the Bikotx-Gane (3.2 km at 8.8%).
Paul Seixas maintains a 1’59 lead overall ahead of Primoz Roglic (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe) and 2’08 over Florian Lipowitz, in the same team as the Slovenian.
The classification of the 3rd stage of the Tour of the Basque Country 2026
- Axel Laurance – Ineos Grenadiers
- Igor Arrieta – UAE Team Emirates – XRG à 2″
- Natnael Tesfatsion – Movistar à 14″
- Ilan Van Wilder – Soudal – Quick Step à 14″
- Tobias Halland Johannessen – Uno-X Mobility à 18″
- James Shaw – EF Education – Easy Post at 0’21”
- Clément Braz Afonso – Groupama-FDJ United at 0’24”
- Lorenzo Fortunato – XDS Astana at 0’24”
- Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet – Groupama-FDJ United at 0’24”
- Reuben Thompson – Lotto Intermarché at 0’34”
The general classification after the 3rd stage of the Tour of the Basque Country 2026
- Paul Seixas – Decathlon CMA CGM 8h08’24”
- Primoz Roglic – RedBull – Bora-Hansgrohe at 1’59”
- Florian Lipowitz – RedBull – Bora-Hansgrohe at 2’08”
- Mattias Skjelmose Jensen – Lidl – Trek at 2’14”
- Ben Tulett – Visma Lease a Bike à 2’27”
- Alex Baudin – EF Education – Easy Post à 2’31”
- Ion Izagirre – Cofidis at 2’36”
- Harold Tejada – XDS Astana at 2’48”
- Cian Uijtdebroeks – Movistar at 3’01”
- Clément Champoussin – XDS Astana at 3’02”
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