Itzulia Basque Country: Schachmann wins stage 1

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Maximilian Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) took out the win on the opening stage of the Itzulia Basque Country, putting in a dominant performance in the 11.3km time trial.

The German topped Dani Martinez (EF Education First) and Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) by nine and 10 seconds, respectively, and sets his Bora-Hansgrohe squad up for a promising week of racing.

The victory follows a stage in the Volta a Catalunya and a win in the GP Industria & Artigianato so far this season.

“I don’t know what to say. It’s my third victory this year," Schachmann said. "At many time trials I’ve been in front, and I’ve never won. It’s a special victory for me. It was a very hard time trial. I don’t know how I did it. There were a lot of strong guys like Kwiatkowski. I’m speechless.”

The 2019 Itzulia Basque Country got under way with an 11.3km time trial in Zumarraga that was anything but straightforward. Punctuated by a short climb with gradients pushing up towards 30 per cent, the course was always going to be a test of pure strength and tactics, with riders choosing between remaining on their time trial bikes or switching to lighter, more nimble road machines.

A morning rain made the situation even more complex, with some riders struggling to keep grip on their rear tyres as they navigated the steepest ramp just before the crest. A few tricky turns on the descent and wet roads also added a fine balance between speed and caution.

George Bennett (Jumbo-Visma), one of the top climbers in the world, lost power at the top and fell over, despite having switched to a road bike.

But those who had the right combination of physical qualities and timing surged to the top of the classification. Schachmann set the first outstanding time with 17:10, moving ahead of teammate Patrick Konrad. Schachmann’s choice to remain on his time trial bike and save the transfer time seemed to pay off.

Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) was among those on damp roads and came through 30 seconds slower than the German.

The late starters enjoyed drier roads, with Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) making easy work of the climb, having already shown his prowess at Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo, but still ceded 12 seconds to Schachmann.

Other quality riders like Martinez, Kwiatkowski and Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) were unable to touch the German’s time, but with plenty of climbing ahead and the top riders separated by 20 seconds, the general classification is still plenty close enough.

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