A dream for all Basques

 

Arriving at Cofidis in the off-season, Ion Izagirre considers the Tour of the Basque Country, the region where he grew up, as an important objective. He won the overall in 2019 and stage winner in 2021. Despite crashing on the ascent Arrate, he was immediately back on his bike and caught the leading riders. In a breathtaking final, he managed to get the better of Alexandr Vlasov and Marc Soler. The Basque man repeated the feat in his new colors and took second on GC, just 11 seconds behind winner Daniel Martinez.

"I am so happy. It's hard to put into words what I feel... Winning the last stage in Arrate is a dream for all Basques. I believe there is no better place to win!

After my fall, it was difficult to come back but I kept fighting and giving everything until the finish line. In addition, I finished 2nd in the general classification, it allows us to end this superb week that we had with the whole team!"

-Ion Izagirre

" I am really very happy. We knew that Ion could come back to the front of the race. Inevitably, we had a fight when he fell and the adrenaline rose for him as for us. His reaction was really perfect.

Then, he mastered his race well to win. The team worked very well and was very motivated throughout the week. This week, there was Victor who was caught in the last kilometer, and Ion today. Winning and finishing 2nd in the general classification is a superb performance. We are in a good dynamic and we will do everything to make it last in the coming weeks."

-Bingen Fernandez, DS Cofidis.