Roglic Seizes Itzulia Race Lead With Dominant Bilbao Uphill TT — Del Toro and Ayuso's GC Battle Already On
Primož Roglič did what he almost always does in Bilbao: he flew up the explosive uphill time trial to take the stage win and the overall race lead on day one of the 2026 Itzulia Basque Country. The Visma-Lease a Bike captain, who has now won this particular time trial on multiple occasions over his illustrious career, set a time of 17 minutes 15 seconds across the brutal 13.9 km course that climbs an average of 4.7% with a fearsome 19% kick in the final kilometre. It was a near-perfect ride from the Slovenian — controlled in the lower section and lethal when the gradient kicked up — and it was enough to beat everyone else in the field.
The real story of the stage, however, was the battle between the race's two biggest pre-event favourites: Isaac del Toro of UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Juan Ayuso, making his first competitive appearance in the colours of Lidl-Trek after his high-profile winter transfer. Del Toro, who had already won two WorldTour stage races in 2026 at the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico, put in an impressive ride to take second place, confirming that the 22-year-old Mexican's extraordinary season-opening form has carried through to the spring. Ayuso, by contrast, showed no signs of the rust that might have been expected after his Paris-Nice crash absence, riding aggressively to claim third — a result that will delight Lidl-Trek's management and send an immediate message to his former employers at UAE.
The gaps at the top of the general classification after stage one tell an important story about how this race is likely to unfold. Roglič leads del Toro by eleven seconds and Ayuso by seventeen seconds — meaningful margins on a course that features some of the most aggressive climbing anywhere on the spring calendar, but not so large as to make the race feel settled. The Itzulia route in 2026 includes six stages with 16,154 metres of total elevation gain and 29 categorised climbs, and every one of those climbs will give the chasing riders opportunities to prise time back from the veteran Slovenian.
Paul Seixas, the 23-year-old Portuguese climber who had been identified as one of the pre-race favourites for the TT after his impressive spring performances, finished fifth on the day, some 22 seconds back. It was a perfectly respectable showing from a rider whose strengths lie more in the pure mountain stages than in the explosive uphill efforts that suit Roglič so precisely. Seixas will look to cause damage later in the week when the race reaches the Basque climbs that he has earmarked as his best chances for a stage win. Jonas Vingegaard, who confirmed his Giro d'Italia start just days before heading to Bilbao, was notably absent from the startlist having prioritised his preparation for the Italian Grand Tour.
The Ayuso subplot remains the most compelling element of this race, however. The Spaniard left UAE Team Emirates-XRG in controversial circumstances over the winter, with reports of friction over team leadership roles and race programme disagreements. His head-to-head with del Toro — his former teammate and direct replacement as the team's designated GC leader — will add an irresistible layer of narrative to every mountain stage. That del Toro emerged ahead in the opening exchange will only sharpen Ayuso's hunger. Lidl-Trek, who have invested significantly in building a programme around the Valencian climber, will be watching these time gaps with particular interest.
Roglič, for his part, was measured in his post-stage assessment. "The Bilbao time trial has always been one I target," he said. "But there are five more days and many difficult climbs. The race is very open." That understatement belies the truth that Roglič is perhaps the most complete stage racer currently competing, capable of defending time gaps in the mountains that would worry almost any other rider. For del Toro and Ayuso, closing eleven and seventeen seconds respectively over five brutal Basque stages is entirely achievable — but it will require them to find a level of attacking riding that Roglič has so far proved immensely difficult to match over a full week of racing.
Stage 2 on Tuesday takes the peloton from Laudio to Arrasate over 174.5 km with three category-one climbs in the finale, including the brutal Alto de Arrate, which regularly produces decisive selection. The GC battle for the Txapela trophy is only just beginning.