Izagirre Drops Simmons to Win GP Miguel Indurain for Third Time in Final Pro Season
Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) delivered a masterclass on home roads to win the 2026 GP Miguel Indurain for the third time in his career, attacking on the steep final climb with just over a kilometre to go to drop Quinn Simmons and celebrate in front of his Basque fans. Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) sprinted in for third after teammate Markel Beloki was caught before the finish line.
The victory marks Cofidis's fourth win of the 2026 season and provides a fitting farewell chapter for the 37-year-old Izagirre, who announced earlier this year that 2026 will be his final campaign as a professional. The Basque veteran has always saved some of his finest performances for the roads around Estella-Lizarra, and Saturday's 203.9-kilometre race was no exception.
The race's early kilometres were animated by a five-man breakaway containing Carlos Garcia Pierna and Sinuhe Fernandez (Burgos-BH), Unai Aznar (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Rafael Duraes (Efapel) and Louis Ferreira (Anicolor). The quintet rapidly established an advantage of five minutes, but a combination of the rolling terrain and an increasingly urgent chase from the peloton steadily whittled down their lead. By the time the television cameras came on with 65 kilometres remaining, the gap was down to a single minute.
The decisive move came at the start of the final hilly lap with 29 kilometres to go, when Izagirre followed an acceleration that split the peloton. Entering the steep final ascent, only Simmons (Lidl-Trek) and Beloki could match the Basque rider's pace. But Izagirre had been saving his best for last: he launched a vicious attack with just over a kilometre to go, opening a gap that neither of his younger companions could close.
Simmons, who has enjoyed a consistent Classics campaign in 2026, held on gamely for second place. Beloki faded in the closing metres and was overhauled by his EF teammate Baudin, who took third. The result highlights the depth of talent emerging in the Ardennes-style one-day races as the peloton prepares for the Itzulia Basque Country, which begins on Monday with an opening time trial in Bilbao.
For Izagirre, the GP Miguel Indurain holds a special place in his heart. His first victory here came in 2019, and a second followed in 2023. This third triumph, in the final season of a career that also includes a Vuelta stage win and Olympic road race medal, was greeted with enormous emotion on the finish line. "To win here again, in front of my people, in my last year — it's the most beautiful way I could have imagined," the Cofidis rider said.
GP Miguel Indurain 2026 — Top 5:
1. Ion Izagirre (Cofidis)
2. Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek)
3. Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost)
4. Markel Beloki (EF Education-EasyPost)
5. Antonio Tiberi