The Spanish cycling calendar is no longer what it once was but there is still one big block of races in early April. For a 10-day span, there have been races in the country every day, with the Vuelta al Pais Vasco being the big highlight. After GP Miguel Indurain, Vuelta a la Rioja and the Basque stage race, the busy period will be brought to an end with the smallest race in the series, the hilly Klasika Primavera.

In the last century, the Spanish calendar was loaded with stage races in the spring, making it possible to spend almost the entire first part of the season racing on the Iberian Peninsula. However, the economic crisis has taken its toll and nowadays there are barely any races left.

Unsurprisingly, most of the surviving races are held in the cycling-mad region of the Basque Country which has a series of one-day races in the late summer, culminating with the Clasica San Sebastian. However, the biggest event is the Vuelta al Pais Vasco in April as the regional tour is both one of the most important WorldTour stage races in the spring and they most important event in the biggest racing block on the Spanish calendar.

The stage race features prominently in the middle of the block which started last weekend with the GP Miguel Indurain and the Vuelta a la Rioja. The races series ends with an important Basque one-day race, Klasika Primavera, which is the smallest race in the series but offers the riders from Pais Vasco the chance to stay in the region for an extra day of hilly racing.

Klasika Primavra has a long history as it was first held in1946, with Miguel Poblet winning the second edition. An 8-year break followed and since then it has been held every year. As the name indicates, it has been held in the spring where it has combined forces with the Vuelta al Pais Vasco to form a great week of racing in the Basque Country.  However, it has largely been a Spanish affair, with the first foreign winner being Jørgen V. Pedersen in 1987. Laurent Jalabert and Mauro Gianetti won the race in the 90s and in recent years, it has become much more international, with Rui Costa, Giovanni Visconti and Jonathan Hivert all featuring on the list of winners. Alejandro Valverde, Roberto Heras, Samuel Sacnhez, Joaquim Rodriguez and Carlos Sastre are all among the recent winners which says a lot about its prestige.

Unfortunately, the race no longer has the same status and in the last few years and the line-up is significantly less star-studded. For some reason, riders now prefer to head home straight after the Vuelta al Pais Vasco and in the last few years only very few riders have done the full week of racing. In the last two years, it has largely been a battle between Movistar and Caja Rural and it will be the same in 2016 as ONE Pro Cyling is the only other professional team at the start.

As the list of winners shows, the race is a hilly one that can even be one by pure climbers. The course has varied a bit though and nowadays it is more suited to Ardennes specialists who have a fast finish at the end of a selective race. Hence, it is a typically Basque race that comes as the perfect conclusion to one week of quality racing in the region

After Costa won a reduced bunch sprint in 2013, the organizers changed the course which was the same in both 2014 and 2015. In 2014, Pello Bilbao won a three-riders sprint while Jose Herrada dropped Evgeny Shalunov in the finale to take a solo win 12 months ago.

The course

As said, the organizers changed the course for the 2014 edition and they seem to like their new format. For the third year in a row, they have decided not to alter it and it will be the same 171.5km route around Amorebieta that will crown the winner of the 62nd edition.

The race starts in Amorebieta where the riders first do one lap of a flat 18km circuit. Then they will tackle another 32km circuit that is also mainly flat before they will return to Amorebieta after 50km of racing. The third circuit is longer at 42km but again it is mostly flat. Then the riders will do another lap of the short 18km circuit that they did at the start before they head back to the main city after 110km of racing.

The final 60km are the hardest as the riders will head from Amorebieta to the Monetcalvo climb which is the main challenge of the race. First they will tackle it from the steep side where it averages 7.16% over 3km. Having reached the top, they will do two laps of a 16.6km circuit that will see them go up the climb from the other side where it averages 5.35% over 5.1km. The average gradient is deceptive as the gradient is more than 7% for the final 3km.

The final passage of the climb comes just 14.2km from the finish. The final consists of a descent and a flat run back to Amorebieta. There is a very small rise inside the final 2km but there are no significant challenges. There are two sharp turns in quick succession with around 500m to go and then it is a straight, flat run to the line.

The weather

The Vuelta al Pais Vasco was marred by bad weather but the sun will come out in time for the final race of the week. Sunday will be a day with beautiful sunshine and a maximum temperature of 20 degrees. However, it will be very windy as there will be a strong wind from a southerly direction which means that there will be lots of crosswinds all day. It will be a headwind on the final climb and on the descent and then it will be a cross-tailwind during the flat run-in to the finish.

The favourites

It’s a big shame that this historic race has lost so much prestige and is no longer able to attract the biggest teams. They are all in the Basque Country with some of their best climbers and it is an obvious idea to stay there for another day to do one more race that should suit them well. However, as it was the case in 2015, only Caja Rural and Movistar will do both events and ONE Pro Cycling that are not at the same level as the two Spanish teams, will be the only other professional team.

Thus means that the two Spanish teams are by far the strongest and they will be able to dictate proceedings. Movistar even bring a formidable roster that would be extremely competitive at the Ardennes classic, and the only Spanish WorldTour team should be in a class of their own. Everything will revolve around them and it will actually be a big embarrassment if they fail to win a race where they are the dominant force. Caja Rural will try to match them and have a few cards to play but it will be Movistar that dictate how this race will pan out.

Hence, everything will depend on how Movistar approach the race. The last two editions have shown that the course is hard enough for the best climbers to make a difference and even though there is time for a regrouping and a reduced bunch sprint is a realistic scenario, it is unlikely to be the outcome. The headwind in the finale won’t favour the attackers but Movistar won’t be too comfortable if a big group arrives at the finish. They want to use their many formidable climbers to make the race hard and they will attack relentlessly on the three climbs. They will evaluate the situation along the way to determine whether they are content with the group that has gone clear, and almost everybody from their team can make it into a decisive move. It won’t even be a surprise if a few teammates can team time trial their way to the finish. As soon as they are content with the situation, they will ask other teams to bring it back and they are unlikely to be strong enough to do so. Movistar can even use the windy conditions to split the field early in the race and this will only make things more selective.

The big name in the race is of course Alejandro Valverde who is making his return to competition after he decided to skip the Flemish classics. The Spaniard hasn’t won a lot of races this year and he must be looking for a boost of confidence as he approaches the classics and the Giro. There is little doubt that he is the captain of the Movistar team but the team will also be keen to allow one of their domestiques to get a win. Valverde will definitely test his legs in the finale but if he can send some of his teammates up the road or get into a group with only teammates there, he will be glad to let one of his friends cross the line in first position.

Much will depend on Pello Bilbao. The Caja Rural captain is probably the only rider who can follow Movistar on these short, explosive climbs. He is likely to be isolated against a number of Movistar riders and if they take turns attacking, it will be hard to control things. Hence, almost anyone from the Movistar team can win. Valverde will be the man for a sprint finish from a small group and will probably be more marked than his teammates so there is a big chance that it will be another Movistar rider that takes the win. On the other hand, Valverde may also make one of his usual solo exhibitions as he is likely to be the strongest rider here. As he can win from almost every scenario, Valverde is the favourite.

Giovanni Visconti is probably number 2 in the Movistar hierarchy. The Italian was really strong in Pais Vasco where he sacrificed himself for Nairo Quintana. This could be his chance to chase a personal result and there is little doubt that he will be one of the strongest on the climbs. He will probably be given the freedom to attack and as he is fast in a sprint, he can even win if he has some company in the end.

Ion Izagirre won the GP Miguel Indurain and proved that he was in great form. Unfortunately, he had to skip Pais Vasco due to illness so it remains to be seen how he has recovered. However, his form can’t have disappeared completely and he will be one of the best on the climbs. He could very well be the Movistar rider that is allowed to attack in the finale.

Pello Bilbao will be the big rival. The Spaniard denied Movistar the win in 2014 and he will be keen to repeat that performance. He is great form as he proved in Pais Vasco where he climbed with the best and finished 10th in the TT. Only a bad day on the cold queen stage prevented him from finishing in the top 10. He is probably the only rider who can follow Movistar and as he is fast in a sprint, he can beat most of them. However, he is likely to be isolated and this will make things difficult. He will hope to have Hugh Carthy there in the finale as the Brit can then try to keep things together for a sprint from a small group.

Like Ion, Gorka Izagirre missed Pais Vasco due to illness but like his brother he was very strong in GP Miguel Indurain. He is likely to play the domestique role but if he can get into the right move, he may be allowed to take his own chances. The same goes for Jesus Herrada who is really suited to this race and even if is fast in a sprint. However, he hasn’t been at his best since March when he was flying.

As said, there is a chance that it all comes back together for a reduced bunch sprint. In that case Carlos Barbero will be the man to beat as he sprinted to third from a small group in last year’s race. He has shown great form so he should be there if a bigger group arrives. His teammates Hugh Carthy and Sergio Pardilla should be among the best on the climbs but as they can’t sprint, it will be difficult to win.

ONE are here with some solid climbers and it is Karol Domagalski who rode well at GP Miguel Indurain who will be their best card. From the continental teams, we will point to David De La Fuente, Federico Figuiredo and Garikoitz Bravo who are good climbers and in good form. Sergey Shilov will have a chance if it comes down to a reduced bunch sprint.

***** Alejandro Valverde

**** Giovanni Visconti, Ion Izagirre

*** Pello Bilbao, Gorka Izagirre, Jesus Herrada

** Carlos Barbero, Hugh Carthy, Sergio Pardilla, Karol Domagalski, David De La Fuente

* Sergey Shilov, Ricardo Vilela, Jaime Roson, Federico Figuiredo, Garikoitz Bravo, Gustavo Cesar Veloso, Hugo Sabido, Imanol Estevez, Alexander Vdovin