Tour of the Basque Country 2021: Pogacar wins clash of titans, Roglic retains lead

image: Cor VosThe 3rd stage of the Tour of the Basque Country comes down to the excessively steep finish climb. Tadej Pogacar outguns Primoz Roglic on the line, while Alejandro Valverde finishes in third. Roglic stays in the overall race lead, Pogacar moves up to second place, and Brandon McNulty still sits in third. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 3rd stage 2021 Itzulia Basque Country

1. Tadej Pogacar (slo)
2. Primoz Roglic (slo) s.t.
3. Alejandro Valverde (spa) + 0.05
4. Adam Yates (gbr) s.t.
5. Mikel Landa (spa) s.t.
6. David Gaudu (fra) + 0.08
7. James Knox (gbr) + 0.16
8. Jonas Vingegaard (den) s.t.
9. Mauri Vansevenant (bel) s.t.
10. Brandon McNulty (usa) + 0.18

GC after stage 3
1. Primoz Roglic (slo)
2. Tadej Pogacar (slo) + 0.20
3. Brandon McNulty (usa) + 0.30
4. Adam Yates (gbr) + 0.39
5. Alejandro Valverde (spa) + 0.50
6. Jonas Vingegaard (den) + 0.54
7. Mikel Landa (spa) + 1.00
8. Pello Bilbao (spa) + 1.08
9. Mauri Vansevenant (bel) + 1.09
10. Maximilian Schachmann (ger) s.t.

Race report
Mikkel Honoré, Theo Delacroix, Larry Warbasse, Oier Lazkano, Daniel Navarro and Gotzon Martín jump off the front just after the Altube climb, while Felix Gall tracks the six down. The leaders open up a maximum gap of 7 minutes.

Lazkano goes solo when the gap has fallen to 1.30 minutes inside the last 30 kilometres. The GC group catches the 21-year old Basque on the penultimate climb.

The main group crosses the top ‘agrupado’ and the riders fly down the technical descent. Wilco Kelderman and Michael Woods hit the deck just before the finish climb.

Magnus Cort, Sergio Higuita, Ben O’Connor and Richard Carapaz enter the finish climb with a small lead. But it is Tadej Pogacar who strikes 2.6 kilometres before the line. Richard Carapaz counter-attacks, but 500 metres later Tadej Pogacar takes back the reins. Primoz Roglic joins his compatriot.

When the group catches them Pogacar gives it another go. Again with Roglic as his shadow.

Gaudu, Yates, Landa and Valverde return under the flamme rouge, but it’s really a two persons show. The Slovenes distance the others on the narrow road and when Pogacar is in first position Roglic can’t get across.

One Slovene wins, the other keeps the leader’s jersey – and to add to the Slovenian fun Pogacar moves up to second place overall. McNulty still sits in third.

Another interesting read: route 3rd stage 2021 Tour of the Basque Country.