Ladies Thalita de Jong eighth in opening stage Itzulia

The third Itzulia Basque Country started early this morning, just before ten o'clock, in Vitoria-Gasteiz. The women were presented with a stage of 140 kilometers, featuring some climbs along the way, including the Olaeta, Azkarate, and Itziar, climbs of third, second, and third category respectively. "It was not a very exciting race," says Thalita de Jong. "There wasn't much action. No breakaway really gained significant advantage, and even on the final climb, where I expected an attack, nothing happened."

De Jong had hoped for that attack. "That way, we could have gone towards the finish with a smaller group, as I'm not really into mass sprints. Eventually, there were some attacks in the last 7 kilometers, so we ended up sprinting with a reduced peloton. Unfortunately, I had to let a gap open up because some riders dropped back. Otherwise, a top five finish was possible. But I'm already very satisfied with this nice start to Itzulia. I rode nicely up front all day." Misha Bredewold eventually won the first stage.

Tomorrow, a shorter stage, but with the same amount of climbing as today, is on the agenda. "I hope to be able to stay with the best climbers. I feel good, have recovered well from the Vuelta. I hope to carry that throughout the rest of the week."

Picture: Orbea