On the hilly Basque course, an early breakaway formed shortly after the start. Tim Rex was alert and made it into the decisive move. The Belgian spent the entire day working strongly at the front and, together with his fellow escapees, held off the peloton for a long time over the succession of iconic Basque climbs. Later in the finale, Barré and Tulett tried to stay clear of a chasing group, but they were only caught inside the final meters.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike animated the race throughout the day. Barré launched an attack in the finale, putting pressure on his rivals and forcing the other favourites to respond. His aggressive move ensured the team remained at the forefront of the action. Teammate Ben Tulett looked back with satisfaction on the team's collective performance.
"It was great to see that Louis had really strong legs today and anticipated the race. Matteo also came out of the Tour de France in good shape, so I think we can be very pleased with our performance today."

The decisive selection was eventually made on the final climbs. Tulett proved to be one of the strongest riders of the day and managed to hold his place in the leading group. In the sprint for the podium, the Brit rounded off the team's strong display by finishing third. "We came here with a really strong team, and after a long build-up period I was curious to see how my body would respond today. I think we got a good confirmation."

"It's a one-day WorldTour Classic, so of course we always want to fight for the best possible result. Today, I think we achieved the best result that was possible with third place," Tulett concluded.