In the second stage of the Basque stage race, the peloton faced a considerable amount of climbing. Armirail saw his chance and launched an attack with six fellow escapees. The breakaway group built up a maximum three minute-lead, but on the gruelling San Miguel de Aralar, the peloton quickly closed the gap.

Paul Seixas, the winner of the first stage, attacked early on and reeled in the breakaway riders one by one. Tulett set his own pace and managed to hold his own in the chasing group. After a 164-kilometre race, he crossed the line in fifth place. In the general classification, he moved up from fourteenth to fifth place.

"I’m pleased with this result. It gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the week", says Tulett. "The pace was high right from the start and the intensity increased as the day went on. My teammates got me into a good position at the foot of San Miguel de Aralar and from there it was a case of pedalling as hard as possible up the climb. It was a great battle with the other GC contenders and I’m looking forward to the coming days."

"Ben did really well today", sports director Frans Maassen continues. "We were hopeful that he could keep up with the best, but you still have to prove it. We know there are still a few tough days ahead, but this gives us hope for a good classification. The aim is for Ben to finish in the top ten, and anything better than that is a bonus."