2025 Itzulia Basque Country Odds, Predictions, and How To Watch

On Monday, April 7, the 64^th edition of the Tour of the Basque Country gets underway at Vitoria-Gasteiz as some of the sport’s top cyclists will race throughout the heart of Spain’s Basque Country over the next six days.

Also known as Itzulia Basque Country, the 2025 Tour of the Basque Country is wide open as none of the sport’s big four will compete: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic and Remco Evevepoel. Even last year’s winner, Juan Ayuso, won’t take the starting line on Monday.

However, we will see former winners Ion Izagirre (2019) and Daniel Martinez (2022) compete in this year’s six-stage race. Additionally, Ayuso’s teammate Joao Almeida will lead UAE Emirates into this Spanish race and enters as the odds-on favorite to win.

For the last few years, the Tour of the Basque Country has been tucked nicely between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. It gives cycling fans something to look forward to between two of the biggest one-day races in the sport today.

With that said, let’s take a look at the latest cycling odds, courtesy of the top sports betting sites, and make our Tour of Flanders predictions.

How To Watch The Tour of the Basque Country?

EuroSport, TNT Sports, and FloBikes will all provide coverage for cycling fans across the globe. In America, we’ll be able to watch the entire race on HBO Max.  

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Tour of the Basque Country Route

This six-stage Spanish race features an individual time trial, nearly two-dozen climbs, and no summit finish. With every stage checking in under 200km, this 868.2km race is set up to be an explosive one based on the following route:

Stage 1 (April 7): Individual Time Trial

The 2025 Itzulia, starts off with a short individual time trial that spans 16.5km from Vitoria-Gasteiz to Baskonia-Alaves.

One note about this ITT, there are a few lumps along the course. However, the overall race favorites should all finish within distance of each other in regards to their times.

Stage 2 (April 8): Flat Stage

The second stage is another flat day for the peloton as they traverse 199.8km from Pamplona to Lodosa. Tuesday’s stage is the longest of the Tour. More than likely, this day will end in a bunch sprint.

Stage 3 (April 9): Hilly Stage

The third stage of the race is one of the most decisive days in this year’s Tour. The riders will race 156.3km from Zarautz to Beasain and will climb 3,170 meters across seven mountains. It also features two sprint points in the latter third of the day. This could be a stage for the breakaway or the GC contenders to establish a pecking order.

Stage 4 (April 10): Hilly Stage

Another hilly day will challenge the peloton on Stage 4. Riders will race 169.6km from Beasain to Markina-Xemein and will once again climb seven mountains and 2,800m of verticality.  

There will be two sprint points on the day, both in the latter third of the stage. Additionally, the feature climb on Stage 4 is the Izua (3.5km, 10.6% average) at the end of the day. This should be a finish for the GC contenders and possibly establish the favorite to win the race.

Stage 5 (April 11): Hilly Stage

Although not as difficult as the previous two days, Stage five still features 2,500 meters of climbing across four mountains. Additionally, it’s the second longest stage at 172.4km from Urduna to Gernika-Lumo. I expect this to be a breakaway day or a group of GC contenders finishing together.

Stage 6 (April 12): Hilly Stage

Eibar will host the final stage of the race as both the start and finish lines are in Plaza Unzaga. And, though this is the final day, the race organizers have created a difficult stage to hopefully light up the GC battle.

The riders will race 153.6km across seven mountains and 3,500m of climbing. The first climb comes at the 14km mark and the last climb comes with 13.6km left. What makes this day even more explosive is that the finish comes after a fast descent from the final climb of Trabakua.

Tour of the Basque Country 2024

The 2024 edition of the Tour of the Basque Country was set up to be an epic showdown between Ayuso, Roglic, Vingegaard and Evenepoel. Unfortunately, a scary crash took out the three latter contenders. Roglic was leading the race until the crash.

Vingegaard and Evenepoel suffered serious injuries that greatly hindered their success for the rest of the year.

With the big three out of the race, Ayuso was able to pull away on the final stage and win the overall yellow jersey.

Tour of the Basque Country Odds

Check out the latest Tour of the Basque Country odds:

Joao Almeida is the odds-on favorite to win the 2025 Itzulia Basque Country. However, there are other pre-race favorites not far behind him in the odds like Florian Lipowitz and Mattias Skjelmose. Interestingly, Almeida’s teammates of Brandon McNulty and Isaac Del Toro are listed on the Top 5 betting favorites.

The best handicappers are split on who will win this race between Almeida and The Field. Keep reading to see our Tour of the Basque Country predictions.  

Tour of the Basque Country Favorites

Let’s take a look at the odds-on favorites for the 64^th edition of the Tour of the Basque Country:

Joao Almeida +300

Joao Almeida is the odds-on favorite to win the Tour of the Basque Country this year. Yet, he has yet to win anything more than one stage on the season.

Almeida was 2^nd in Volta a la Comunitat Valencia, second at Volta ao Algarve, and a disappointing 6^th at Paris-Nice despite winning Stage 4.

In all three stage races, Almeida was in the Top 8 for the time trials. That bodes well for the Portugues rider especially with Stage 1 of Itzulia being a short ITT.

With that said, this marks Almeida’s first appearance in the Basque Country race. He definitely has the talent to win and a great supporting team but there will be some stiff competition for UAE.

Florian Lipowitz +600

Red Bull’s Florian Lipowitz could be one of those competitors that rise up and take out Almeida for the victory. Lipowitz finished 2^nd at Paris-Nice, which was his only true race of the season.

The German cyclist also finished third in the time trial in Paris-Nice, which bodes well for his upcoming Basque Country appearance.

Lipowitz finished 73^rd in the 2023 Itzulia, which was his only start. I expect the 24-year-old to put together a strong performance. Don’t be surprised if he’s a Top 10 rider that threatens for a spot on the podium.

Mattias Skjelmose +700  

Lidl-Trek’s Mattias Skjelmose has put together a modest season so far. He kicked off the year with a 6^th in the Faun-Ardeche Classic and 2^nd in the Faun Drome Classic. Unfortunately, he ended up leaving Paris-Nice on Stage 7 after a solid run throughout the week.

Skjelmose was third in last year’s Itzulia Basque Country, which was a big step up from 17^th in 2023. There’s no reason to think that Skjelmose can’t challenge for the podium this year as well.

Brandon McNulty +1100

This is where things get interesting with the odds for the Itzulia Basque Country because Brandon McNulty and Isaac Del Toro are both on UAE Emirates and teammates with Almeida.

At Paris-Nice, McNulty was riding in support but looked strong before a DNF on Stage 8. Prior to that, his best performance was at the Volta a la Comunitat where he finished 5^th.

McNulty finished 5^th in last year’s Itzulia, 7^th in 2023, and 17^th in 2021. If Almeida struggles or crashes, then you have to like McNulty’s chances of becoming the leader and competing for the podium.

Isaac Del Toro +1100

I really like the potential for Del Toro’s future. This kid is extremely talented on the bike. And, when the time comes that he gets the leadership role for a stage race, I think he wins.

With that said, Del Toro was 7^th in this race last year. So, he has the experience, speed and overall talent to win this race if UAE were to support him as the leader. Unfortunately, that won’t happen.

I would avoid Del Toro this week, but he’s a future star in the making.

The Best Tour of the Basque Country Betting Value

The following cyclists offer betting value based on their current Tour of the Basque Country odds, early season performances, and past success in this race:

Enric Mas +1400

It’s pretty crazy that Enric Mas isn’t one of the favorites after his strong performance at the Volta a Catalunya where he finished third in late March.

It was his best performance of the season as the Spanish rider has been riding into form prior to the upcoming Grand Tours.

With that said, Mas is making his seventh appearance in the Basque Country race. He was 5^th in 2023, his last appearance. Mas has three Top 10s and one stage win in his six appearances.

I think Mas can compete for the podium if he’s in good form like at Catalunya.

Pello Bilbao +1800

Could this be the year that Bilbao finally wins at the Itzulia? It will be his 10^th appearance in this race where he’s finished in the Top 10 on four occasions including 6^th last year. His best result was 5^th in 2022, where he also picked up his only stage win in this race.

On the season, Bilbao was 5^th at Tirreno-Adriatico, 5^th at Strade-Bianche, third at the UAE Tour, and 3^rd at Volta a la Comunitat.

He’s shown some great form in 2025 so far, while also finishing strong in a few of the time trials. With his form looking strong, I think Bilbao will be a Top 5 rider this year. However, he’s still a bit of a flier to win the race.

Alexander Vlasov +2200

Alexander Vlasov has been a disappointment in 2025 so far. His last appearance was in Paris-Nice where the Russian cyclist was 35^th overall despite being considered a pre-race contender.

With that said, Vlasov was 3^rd in his lone Itzulia appearance, which came in 2022. So, he’s shown potential to perform well in this race. Considering there’s no massive climbs or summit finishes; Vlasov could be a contender in this race. At +2200, Vlasov’s odds do offer some value.

The Top Tour of the Basque Country Longshot

Sepp Kuss +4000 is my longshot choice for this race. In his two recent races, Kuss was riding in support of his teammates. Most recently, he competed in the Volta a Catalunya where he raced for Simon Yates who finished 9^th.

It seems that Kuss could be riding as the Visma leader in the Itzulia as he’s the only one on this roster that has won a Grand Tour. This marks his 5^th appearance. He has ridden in support for the last four appearances with two DNFs and a 41^st in last year’s race.

If Visma commits to Kuss, he could be a very sneaky play as we all know how well Kuss climbs, especially when given the freedom to race for the win.

If Kuss can limit his losses on the time trial, and get the support of Visma as the leader, then I believe the American cyclist will compete with the likes of Almeida for the win.

Tour of the Basque Country Predictions

I would love to see Sepp Kuss win this race, but it remains to be seen if he will even be the leader despite looking like it on paper.

I think this race will come down to Almeida, Skjelmose, Lipowitz and Bilbao. The latter is coming in with great form, but it’s hard to think he will climb better than Almeida or Skjelmose. Lipowitz has looked strong as well, but I question his supporting cast.

Almeida is the smart bet here, but I don’t want to play it safe. I’m going with Skjelmose who offers better value. Also, let’s not forget, Skjelmose was leading this race until the final day. So, there could be extra motivation for the 24-year-old who wants to pick up his first win of the year.

Bet: Mattias Skjelmose +700

Tour of the Basque Country Results

Jose Antonio Gonzalez and Alberto Contador are tied with the most Tour of the Basque Country wins at four apiece. Sean Kelly and Tony Rominger are tied for second with three wins apiece. Kelly is also tied for the most stage wins at 11.

Spain holds the record with the most Tour of the Basque Country wins at 28. Italy is second with seven. The United States has one victory and that came in 2010 with Christ Horner.

The following is a list of the most recent Tour of the Basque Country winners: