The start and finish of the queen stage in the Basque stage race were located in Eibar. The peloton set off for a demanding 176-kilometer stage, featuring more than 4,000 meters of elevation gain along the way. Eight tough climbs were on the program. Right after the start, the race exploded into action, with Team Visma | Lease a Bike playing a prominent role.  

The yellow-and-black squad had Kruijswijk, Huising, and Graat in the attack. The trio was part of a large breakaway group of 35 riders. The leaders’ advantage grew to a maximum of four and a half minutes, but due to the succession of climbs, that gap gradually decreased.  

Just over 100 kilometers from the finish, Kruijswijk accelerated from the breakaway. The 38-year-old Dutchman, in his final season as a professional, was joined by Baptiste Veistroffer. However, their attempt was neutralized on the steep Krabelin climb. Meanwhile, the general classification favorites also moved to the front.  

In the tough finale, leader Paul Seixas launched a decisive attack together with Florian Lipowitz. The duo rode toward the finish in Eibar, where Seixas ultimately proved to be the strongest. Ben Tulett, who was sixth in the general classification, still suffered too much from his crash in the third stage. As a result, the 24-year-old Brit dropped out of the top ten.  

“Everything went according to plan in the opening phase of the stage,” said sports director Frans Maassen afterward. “The goal was to have one of our riders in the early breakaway. With Steven, Menno, and Tijmen, we actually had three riders up there. Unfortunately, Ben already indicated early in the stage that he was still feeling too much discomfort from his crash a few days ago. It’s a shame he wasn’t able to compete at full strength with the best riders today.”