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The change of location, due to the professional Itzulia’s final stage finishing in Bergara, marks a cycling day with two routes and international participation despite the rain.
The fourth edition of the Itzulia Basque Challenge was held this year with a notable change: the start and finish moved to Bergara, after previous editions had been held in Eibar. The change was made because the final stage of the professional Itzulia finished in Bergara.
A total of 600 participants started the event in Bergara on a cold and rainy day. Despite the weather conditions, the atmosphere throughout the event reflected a great day of cycling. Amateur cyclists had the opportunity to ride the same route as stage 6 of the professional Itzulia, with two different distances adapted to different levels.
Participation remains at solid levels and the feedback from riders has been very positive despite the weather conditions during the event.
Regarding the composition of the peloton, 7.1% of participants were women. This represents an increase compared to the previous edition, although the organization notes that the figures are still below the desired level.
By age group, 84.1% of participants were between 25 and 54 years old. In terms of origin, 75.2% of participants were from Spain, while 23.9% came from France. In total, riders from six different countries took part in the event. At the local level, 23.8% of the participants were from Gipuzkoa.
A large operational deployment supported the event. The organization mobilized 16 motorbike marshals, 31 official cars, 2 medical cars, 3 ambulances, 3 Shimano mechanical support vehicles and nearly 3 kilometres of barriers along the course.
The organization would like to thank the institutions and partners who made this edition possible, especially the Department of Tourism of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa and the Bergara City Council. Thanks also go to the partners Ciclismo a Fondo, Fanté, Gourmet Latino, Cafés Baqué, Shimano, Skoda, Kawasaki and IK Sprayers.
Finally, the organization thanks all participants for taking part in this fourth edition and looks forward to welcoming them again at the next Itzulia Basque Challenge in 2027.
