The final day of racing at Itzulia Basque Country saw the peloton faced with a climb-packed 135 kilometre route from Goizper-Antzuola to Bergara. It wasn’t just the terrain the bunch would have to battle, as heavy rain throughout the race made for an incredibly attritional and challenging day in the saddle. From the start the pace was on with lots of attacks as there was a sense in the peloton that the right move could go all the way to the finish.
Some good teamwork and some strong legs saw Frank van den Broek well positioned when the peloton split and a group of around 30 riders went clear. The pace remained on throughout the day as the rain continued to fall, but for Team Picnic PostNL and Van den Broek it was about conserving as much energy as possible and biding their time, while allowing those with GC interests to set the pace.
As the climbs ticked down, all of the groups that were spread throughout the course thinned down too, and coming onto the last ascent there were just about 15 riders left at the head of the race. Eventual stage winner August put in a strong attack and wouldn’t be seen again until the finish once he went solo, but behind Van den Broek rode a measured effort and crested the climb in a duo that was battling for the final podium spot. Giving it everything and going full-gas to the line, Van den Broek produced a good sprint to take third place on the day; rounding out the week with a nice podium.







