Nestled between the lush green hills of the Basque Country and sitting on the banks of the Nervión River, Bilbao is home to nearly 350,000 people, making it Spain’s tenth-largest city. Its most famous attraction is the Guggenheim Museum, where visitors marvel at modern art.
Cycling fans, however, are more interested in the riders, and Bilbao has seen plenty of them. The city has seen 34 Vuelta stage starts and 44 finishes. The first was back in 1935, when Belgian Gustaaf Deloor claimed victory before going on to win the overall title that year. The most recent winner in Bilbao was Marc Soler in 2022.
This year’s stage is packed with sharp climbs. The first challenge is the Alto de Laukiz, 5 kilometres at 4.7%, with a brutal section of nearly 12% just before the top. Next up is the Alto de Sollube, 7.2 kilometres long and averaging 4.2%.
After passing through Guernica — immortalised by Picasso’s painting that depicts the bombing of the town — the riders tackle the Balcón de Bizkaia, a 4.3-kilometre climb at 5.4%. From there, the peloton descends to Múgica to take on the Alto de Morga, a 8.2-kilometre climb at 3.5%. There are still 71.3 kilometres left to race at the summit.
The route then continues with a double ascent of the Alto del Vivero (4.2 kilometres at 8.3%), creating a finale reminiscent of the 2022 stage to Bilbao. But there’s a twist — this time, the stage doesn’t end after the second descent of the Vivero. Instead, it continues to the top of the Alto de Pike. At 2.3 kilometres, the Pike is shorter than the Vivero but far steeper, averaging 8.9%. Moreover, bonus seconds are up for grabs at the summit.
The top of the Alto de Pike lies just 7.6 kilometres from the finish line.
The route recalls the Tour de France opener in Bilbao two years ago, only tougher. That stage also featured the Laukiz, Morga, Vivero and Pike climbs, and delivered a memorable finish: the Yates brothers attacked together on the Pike descent. The twins held off the chasing peloton, and Adam eventually dropped Simon on the uphill drag to the line to solo into the yellow jersey.
The first three riders across the line gain 10, 6 and 4 bonus seconds, while the intermediate sprint atop the Alto de Pike carries 6, 4 and 2 seconds.
Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX 11th stage 2025 Vuelta a España.
Another interesting read: results 11th stage 2025 Vuelta a España.
Vuelta a España 2025 stage 11: routes, profiles, videos
Click on the images to zoom
hi where in Bibao does the stage start from – on your map it starts a good bit out of town is the official start? Where are they lining up from is it the San Memes stadium? Same question for Laredo do they line up on the beachfront somewhere for neutralized start? thank you, martina
The riders set off from the stadium at 13:30, while the stage 12 salida neutralizada takes place at 14:00 at Avenida Cantabria in Laredo