16:43
The legs begin to weigh more than necessary in the final stretch of the ascent to Alto de Aguilar. This Itzulia is not disappointing. Blessed spectacle of cycling.
16:40
Julen Amezketa, one of the escapees, begins to have problems keeping up with the escape. The decisive phase of the stage begins!
16:39
Diego Camargo, from EF Education, has suffered a fall, although he has been able to continue without major consequences.
16:35
The attack movements in the platoon begin! What a show!
16:32
Remember that at the end of each stage of Itzulia 2022 you can check all the classifications in this link.16:31SPRINT Bonuses | Points – Viana
1 – Ibai Azurmendi (EUS) – 10 pt
2 – Julen Amezqueta (CJR) – 6 pt
3 –Ander Okamika (BBH) –4 pt
16:28
Tense calm in the chasing pack. Some of the platoon members will jump for the escapees in the next few minutes. Who will be the chosen ones?
16:25
The peloton has managed to get a minute and a half behind the escapees, but for the time being they have not hunted them down definitively. They all go up to the port of Aguilar.
16:22
The Alto de Aguilar pass is 12.6 kilometers long and has a vertical drop of 387 metres. The average slope is 3.1%.
16:19
In a few moments the ascent to the Aguilar pass begins.
16:18
There are 43 kilometers left. The stage enters Viana
Julen Amezketa (CJR), Ander Okamika (BBH), Ibai Azurmendi (EUS), and Ibon Ruiz (EKP)
+ 1′ 17″
Platoon
16:11
There are fewer and fewer kilometers left to reach the finish line! Who will take the final victory? The difference between the breakaways and the peloton continues to decrease (now it is below 1’30”) and we are approaching the last climb of the stage, Alto de Aguilar, in the 3rd category.
16:07
16:06
The race enters Logroño while the pursuers continue to close in on the escapees.
16:03
The organization reports that Astana’s Romo has withdrawn after breaking his collarbone after a hit.
16:02
Julen Amezketa (CJR), Ander Okamika (BBH), Ibai Azurmendi (EUS), and Ibon Ruiz (EKP) remain in the breakaway, but the distance with the pursuers continues to decrease and is already in two minutes and 20 seconds. The stage has 54 kilometers left.
15:58
The Itzulia cyclists are having luck, for the moment, with the weather. Today was also a day of mild temperatures and clear skies. There was fear of possible rains that caused fear in the runners when it came to risking.
15:45
With 64 kilometers to go until the end of the stage, the second of this Itzulia 2022, Amezketa (CJR), Azurmendi (Euskaltel), Okamika (Burgos BH) and Ruiz (Kern Pharma) are still on the run, but the difference with the chasing pack continues descending. It’s already under three minutes.
15:42
Quick Step is doing a great job on the chasing pack. The difference with the escapees continues to drop and is already approaching three minutes.
15:38
How does the platoon shoot? The difference between the escapees and the pursuers continues to drop at full speed, and now stands at 3 minutes and 25 seconds. The dream of the fugitives is going to end, except surprise, soon.
15:36
The escapees have just left the town of Mendavia behind.
15:33
Right now the difference between the escapees and the peloton is 4 minutes and 7 seconds. The maximum difference has become five minutes and 33 seconds.
15:32
The platoon approaches the escapees in a hurry! In the last five kilometers they have managed to reduce the difference by a minute with Amezketa, Azurmendi, Ruiz and Okamika
15:32SPRINT | Lodosa | Points
1 – 192 Ibai Azurmendi (EUS) – 10 pt
2 – 133 Julen Amezqueta (CJR) – 6 pt
3 – 206 Ibon Ruiz (EKP) – 4 pt
15:29
Some Quick-Step members have joined Jumbo-Visma at the head of the pack.
15:24
Javier Romo, from Astana, third withdrawal from Itzulia 2022.
15:21
The race is currently in the vicinity of Lodosa. There are no great variations between the group of escapees and the squad of pursuers, and that means that the escapees continue to dream of culminating their adventure with a great victory in Viana.
15:16
As Gaizka Lasa and Iñaki Izquierdo, the cycling experts of the DV, commented, the cyclists will be attentive in the last kilometers in case the wind plays its tricks.
15:12
There are less than 90 kilometers left to reach the end of the stage! And the escapees remain firm in their escape. At the moment the wind has not made an appearance and is not affecting the development of the race.
15:11
With today’s there will be 5 occasions in which an Itzulia stage has ended in Viana.
15:08
15:07
The work that the four escapees are doing is spectacular. The difference with the chasing pack is again five minutes!
14:56
With just over 100 kilometers to go to Viana, the four runners in the breakaway (Julen Amezketa, Ander Okamika, Ibai Azurmendi and Ibon Ruiz) remain more than 4 minutes ahead of a peloton that the team from the leader, the Jumbo-Visma.
14:53
There has been a fall in the peloton after passing through Estella. This mishap has forced Burgos rider Victor Langelotti to abandon the race.
14:25
Lotto Soudal rider Harry Sweeny has abandoned the race at kilometer 80 of the second stage.
14:22
In the virtual mountain classification, Ibon Ruiz would now be the new leader, with 9 points, with Ander Okamika with 6, in second position.
14:10
They have already traveled 73 kilometers and have passed the ports of Uitzi and Lizarraga. At the moment the escapees continue in their particular adventure. Amezketa, Azurmendi, Ruiz and Okamika are more than five minutes away from the chasing pack in which all the favorites are: Roglic, Evenepoel, Higuita, Izagirre, Vlasov, etc.
14:09
In a few minutes the runners will pass through Estella and then through Muniain
14:06
14:01Bonuses | Mountain-Lizarraga
1 – Ibon Ruiz (EKP) – 6 pt
2 –Ander Okamika (BBH) –4 pt
3 – Ibai Azurmendi (EUS) – 2 pt
4 – Julen Amezketa (CJR) – 1 pt
14:00
After the ascent to the Lizarraga pass, the descent begins. We will see if the peloton can close the gap with the escapees, Azurmendi, Amezketa, Ruiz and Okamika, on the descent
13:51
The escapees face the most complicated section of the ascent to the Lizarraga pass, although the distance with the chasing pack continues to increase little by little. Now it’s 4 minutes and 50 seconds
13:45
13:40
We recall that this pass is 9.5 kilometers long and has an average gradient of 5.2%.
13:38
The ascent to the port of Lizarraga begins for the escapees! We will see how the legs of these adventurers respond in one of the most demanding ports of this Itzulia 2022
13:31
With 45 kilometers covered in this second stage, the four runners from the beginning are still on the run: Amezketa (CJR), Okamika (Burgos BH), Azurmendi (Euskaltel), and Ibon Ruiz (KERN Pharma). The distance with the chasing pack continues to increase little by little, it is already 4 minutes and 20 seconds
13:23
The escapees continue to put more time into the persecuted peloton, in which Roglic is. Right now the gap is over four minutes…
13:22
13:15
At the moment Ibon Ruiz, from Vitoria, from KERN Pharma, is the virtual leader of 3 classifications: general, mountain and young.
13:12
Remco Evenepoel, one of the stars of the international circuit and of Itzulia, spoke yesterday with the journalist from El Diario Vasco Gaizka Lasa. This is the interview.
