Cyclingflash
Not done yet: Ion Izagirre wins GP Miguel Indurain in farewell year

Not done yet: Ion Izagirre wins GP Miguel Indurain in farewell year

The 37-year-old Ion Izagirre won the GP Miguel Indurain on Saturday. The Basque rider broke away from Quinn Simmons in the final kilometers, then celebrated victory in Estella-Lizarra. Alex Baudin was the last rider to join the podium.

The roll of honour of the Gran Premio Miguel Indurain features numerous hill and climbing specialists. In 2026, another strong puncheur was expected to join their ranks. This year, the organizers again designed a course with several steep climbs in the finale. And although the 203.9-kilometer route counted ‘only’ four categorized climbs, the rest of the parcours was hardly flat. Yes, Spanish flat, but anyone familiar knows what that means. Along the way, riders faced four categorized climbs, with the Alto de Eraul (3.9 kilometers at 5.1%) acting as the ultimate test near the finish.

The opening phase of the GP Miguel Indurain saw the usual, ritualistic dance between an early breakaway and the peloton. This time, the early escape was made up of Sinuhé Fernandez, Unai Aznar, Louis Ferreira, Rafael Duraes, and Carlos Garcia Pierna, but they played no significant role later in the race.

About 75 kilometers from the finish, the lead group fell apart, followed by a general regrouping around fifty kilometers from the end. That was also when the favourites started to make their move. At 47 kilometers to go, attacks came from top contenders such as Antonio Tiberi, Lennert Van Eetvelt, George Bennett, Javier Romo, and Jardi van der Lee, but they were eventually reeled back in.

Decisive attack with Simmons and Izagirre
The attack 28 kilometers from the finish proved more successful, as Hector Alvarez, Ion Izagirre, Igor Arrieta, Jakob Omrzel, Harry Sweeney, and later George Bennett and Quinn Simmons broke away. Within moments, they had opened a thirty-second gap on the peloton, heading towards the crucial Alto de Eraul.

At that climb, Simmons and Izagirre made a decisive move and rode away from the rest of the break, while Alex Baudin launched a chase from the peloton. The Spaniard just missed the catch: Simmons and Izagirre started the last kilometers together, but it never came down to a sprint. Just under two kilometers from the finish, the Basque rider dropped Simmons and soloed to victory.