Throughout the week, they will face the iconic Alto de Jaizkibel on stage four and cover a total of 797.7km on the way to the traditional ascent of Arrate, where Adam Yates raised his arms on the last stage of Itzulia, two years ago. The British star is one of the many riders to have established a strong connection with the Basque roads, also winning the Clásica San Sebastián in 2015, a week before his 23rd birthday.
Adam and his twin brother Simon Yates (whose Team BikeExchange should be led on the next Itzulia by the in-form Esteban Chaves and the Spanish climber Mikel Nieve, who hails from the neighbouring community of Navarre) also rode through the Basque Country on the way to Madrid when Simon won La Vuelta Ciclista a España in 2018. On that occasion, the Basque climbs welcomed one of the most memorable stages of that edition, when Michael Woods rose to an emotional victory on Balcón de Bizkaia.