The individual time trial made a return to this year's edition of the race through the Basque Country. In the first part of the 10km long stage, the riders had to take on a steep cobblestone section of almost 10 per cent, followed by an ascent to Olaberria (1.7 km at 5 percent). The parcours then concluded with a short yet steep ramp. BORA - hansgrohe's leader Primož Roglič already posted the best time by the first checkpoint after 4km and managed to extend his lead even further in the second half of the race, despite taking a wrong turn shortly before the finsh. He eventually crossed the finish line in 12:34 minutes, which was enough to secure him the stage victory and the first yellow jersey of the race.
Result
01 P. Roglič 12:34
02 J. Vine +0:07
03 M. Skjelmose +0:10
From the Finish Line
"I'm really happy with this victory. It's always great to race the Tour of the Basque Country. I really like the atmosphere and the enthusiastic spectators here. My legs are good and I felt strong today. I took a wrong turn just before the finish line, but that thankfully didn't cost me the victory in the end. However, there are certainly many tough days ahead of us and we will do our best to build upon today's performance." - Primož Roglič
"We started the Tour of the Basque Country in the best possible way, with a great victory from Primož. Paris-Nice didn't go completely as we had expected, but we worked hard and it looks as though that effort has paid off. Primož put in a great performance, but I'd like to underline that it was also a team effort. I'm very proud of Primož's win and the hard work of the entire team. This gives us a lot of confidence heading into the upcoming stages." - Patxi Vila, Sports Director