Maximilian Schachmann had to submit the overall lead of the Basque Country Tour. After three days in the yellow jersey, the 31-year-old racing bike professional lost the connection on the fourth stage on an average of almost ten percent steep Izua increase and finished third in Markina-Xemein.
As a result, he fell back to second place in the overall classification. The 169.6 kilometer section won the Portuguese João Almeida as a soloist who also took the lead in the overall classification. There he lies for 30 seconds ahead of Schachmann.
“I didn’t have the climb, but I had a clear plan. I wanted to drive in a controlled manner and try to stay well positioned. I succeeded, but João drove incredibly. He deserves the leadership jersey”said Schachmann.
Lipowitz still third
For Schachmann, the heavy tour in the Basque Country is already a success. Born in Berlin, the native of Berlin had celebrated his first victory since July 2023 and underpins his good start into the season. Schachmann already finished fifth on the Algarve tour in February. The veteran had left the German racing team Red Bull after two years of illness and had returned to the Belgian team Soudal-Quickstep, where he started his professional career in 2017.
The German top talent Florian Lipowitz is still third during the Basque Country Route with a gap of 38 seconds. The 24-year-old achieved the goal together with Schachmann in the chaser group.