Max Schachmann of Soudal–Quick Step won the opening day individual time trial at the Tour of the Basque Country on Monday, completing the 16.5km route around Vitoria-Gasteiz in 18 minutes and 37 seconds.

The German narrowly edged out UAE Team Emirates rider Joao Almeida, while Red Bull’s Florian Lipowitz finished third, just one second behind in a tightly contested race.

Almeida Shows Form On Opening Day

"This was only a short effort," said Almeida after the race. "But it’s a good indicator of how things might go. I’d be happy to keep at least second place until the end of the week."

Tuesday’s stage is a flat 200km run from Pamplona to Lodosa, before the race heads into four hilly or mountainous stages that will shake up the general classification.

Key Riders Missing After 2024 Carnage

Spaniard Juan Ayuso won last year’s edition, with compatriot Carlos Rodriguez and Denmark’s Mattias Skjelmose rounding out the podium.

A dramatic downhill crash caused by tree roots in 2024 took out Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel, and the 2025 edition features fewer marquee names as a result.

Former Vuelta winner Sepp Kuss leads the Visma team this year, and along with Skjelmose, Santiago Buitrago, and Enric Mas, is considered one of the key contenders to watch.