ANDThe Tour is gradually arriving in the Basque Country. The organization of the gala round, with its director Christian Prudhomme at the helm, has already landed in Bilbao to carry out the big department of the 2023 edition, which starts on Saturday.
Until the cyclists start the tour in the outskirts of the San Mams field, ASO (Amaury Sport Organization) will establish its nerve center in the Bilbao Exhibition Center (BEC) in Barakaldo. There are already more than two thousand accredited journalists. With the city little by little turning yellow, the iconic color of the race and of the cyclist who leads the general classification of the event, the most important, one of the first visits that Prudhomme has received has been that of the president of the Basque Nationalist Party, Andoni Ortúzar.
“We want them to be the three best stages in history. Euskadi give a great image to the world”, the politician has told him. The top boss of the Tour already said in the presentation of the stages that “it will be the toughest start ever”. After the great show last year, the Tour once again seeks to engage the fans, born from a land in love with cycling.
“Leaving the Basque Country is a great incentive,” he says Michael Landa, the strongest Basque runner of the seven in the running. In addition to him, Pello Bilbao starts as a candidate to grab the first yellow card in a day that is going great for him. Castroviejo will once again be the best guide for an Ineos that has Omar Fraile as a finisher. He already knows what to win on the Tour, as he also knows Ion Izagirre, from Cofidis. Gorka Izagirre and Alex Aranburu, who will look for stages in addition to helping their leader, close the quota of Basques. In addition to them, there will be seven other Spanish runners: More, De la Cruz, Pedrero, Rodriguez, Soler, Luisle and Juanpe.
Posible problems
During the last month, the Ertzaina has been demanding improvements in a negotiation that, as has already been reported, could cause problems for the Tour. The spokesman for the Basque Government, Bingen Zupiria, assured yesterday that he “does not conceive” that the ertzainas do not guarantee citizen and public safety during the Tour. EH Bildu, for his part, calls for vindication on the roads that are not Spanish during the passage of the Tour.
key stages
Three stages will be lived in the Basque Country, from where the Tour already started in 1992. “It will be the best start of the Tour,” he repeats. David Lopez to MARCA, former Sky rider who holds the record in Jaizkibel, a key port in the second stage. “The first is a classic for favourites, the second could also leave differences and I think the third will be for the escape”, says someone who sees Landa and Pello “very reliable”. He is betting on a Spanish success, although he does not see it so clearly for the general. “It’s difficult, but Landa and Mas will fight for the podium.” It all starts at his house, in Euskadi, where the Tour will experience its most exciting start in 110 editions.
