The team has had significant successes in the multi-day World Tour race in recent years. Roglic won Itzulia Basque Country in 2018 and 2021, while Vingegaard finished second behind his teammate last year.

“We will be at the start with a strong team, but that will be no different for our opponents”, sports director Marc Reef said. “This race is one of our spring goals and important for the team. Primoz has already won here twice. Itzulia Basque Country suits him well and he likes to race here.”

Roglic had an excellent start to the season with a win in Paris-Nice. His Danish teammate, who finished second in Tirreno-Adriatico, showed perfect form. “Jonas will also get the chance to go for the win. They can make each other stronger. Last year the men finished first and second, but it’s not easy to pull this off again. Our main goal is to go for the win.”

This year, a spectacular race can be expected again. The six-day race starts with a hilly individual time trial over 7.5 kilometres. Subsequently, three treacherous stages are on the programme. In the last two stages, the course contains a lot of climbing kilometres and a lot can still happen. Who will end up on the top step of the podium?

In addition to Roglic and Vingegaard, Milan Vader, Gijs Leemreize, Chris Harper, Sepp Kuss and Pascal Eenkhoorn will be at the start of Itzulia Basque Country.