CYCLING – PELLO Bilbao headlines the Team Bahrain Victorious roster on home roads as the team lines up for GP Indurain and Itzulia Basque Country, targeting a strong week of racing in front of his local fans.
Racing begins with GP Indurain today, providing an important lead-in to the six-day Itzulia Basque Country, which gets underway on Monday. Both races hold particular significance for the team, with Bilbao leading the charge on familiar terrain.
Now in its 35th edition, GP Indurain covers 205 kilometres with 3,714 metres of elevation, starting and finishing in Estella-Lizarra.
Named in honour of the legendary Miguel Indurain, the race is known for its demanding profile, with the decisive action typically unfolding in the final 60km. A sequence of climbs, beginning with the category one Alto de Guirguillano, sets the stage for an aggressive finale where the strongest riders emerge.
Bilbao, alongside Jakob Omrzel, will be looking to take advantage of a course that suits their characteristics and fight for a strong result.
The line-up remains largely consistent across both races, with Jakob Omrzel only set to feature in GP Indurain, while Rainer Kepplinger comes into the team for Itzulia Basque Country.
Supporting Bilbao across both races are Oliver Stockwell, Antonio Tiberi, Attila Valter, Alberto Bruttomesso and Roman Ermakov.
On Monday, the team will line up for the six-stage Itzulia Basque Country, now in its 65th edition. A demanding route awaits the riders, beginning with a 13.9km individual time trial.
Across the six days, the peloton will cover 810.1km from Bilbao to Bergara, tackling a total of 16,404m of climbing.
While each stage presents its own challenges, stage five, the queen stage, will be decisive in Eibar, with 4,079m of elevation and three category one climbs, likely proving pivotal in the general classification.
The team will be focused on setting Bilbao up for the best possible result in the overall standings. The 36-year-old Basque rider continues to carry ambitions of a podium result in his home race, bringing experience and local knowledge to a demanding parcours that is expected to suit his strengths.
“After Tirreno, everything has gone really smoothly,” said Bilbao. “I’m especially happy with the last sessions, both in terms of numbers and how I’ve been feeling. It gives me confidence that I’ll be in the right place at the right moment.
“Speaking about Itzulia, for me these are maybe the most important races of the calendar on an emotional level. Racing at home is always something special. Of course, we have bigger races like the Tour de France and the big Classics, but nothing compares to competing where cycling means so much to the people. It’s the greatest feeling I can have as a rider. Coming to the latter stages of my career, this race means even more to me.
“This year’s race will be particularly special for me. Looking at the parcours, almost every stage is within 80km of my home, with three stages in Biscay, in my own area.
“I know these roads by heart, almost with my eyes closed. At the same time, I believe this is one of the hardest editions of Itzulia I’ve raced – a time trial and five demanding medium mountain stages, with no real opportunities to recover and no sprint stages.
“My goal is to focus on the overall classification. It’s something I’ve chased every year – to reach the podium in my home race. Even at 36, I still believe I can fight for it.
“I will give everything to achieve that. And even if I don’t reach the podium, I’ll be satisfied if I arrive in top condition, fight for stages, and give something special back to the Basque fans.
“I’m really looking forward to this year’s Itzulia.”
Bahrain Victorious sports director Gorazd Stangelj added: ”For GP Indurain, we have Pello and Jakob, and we are looking for a strong result. We know they are both capable and we hope to fight for a top five.
“For Itzulia, our focus turns to Pello. He is racing on home roads and knows them better than anyone. We know he has the potential to deliver a strong general classification result, and he is highly motivated.”
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