Paul Seixas Wins Queen Stage to Extend Lead at Tour of the Basque Country

Overview

• Seixas, who surged to a third stage win Friday in Eibar, beat Florian Lipowitz in a two-up sprint to take the queen stage and push his overall lead to 2 minutes 30 seconds.
• The French leader tightened his grip Thursday after attacking on the final descent to gain about 20 seconds, as Alex Aranburu won the stage from the break in Galdakao.
• Primoz Roglic lost ground Friday and sits 3 minutes 40 seconds back, leaving Lipowitz as Seixas’s closest threat heading into the sixth and final stage.
• Two expected contenders are out of the race, with Isaac Del Toro crashing earlier in the week and Juan Ayuso withdrawing due to stomach issues, which thinned the pool of challengers.
• Saturday’s 130 km finale features rain and tricky descents, and if Seixas holds on he would end a 19-year French drought in weeklong WorldTour races and could become the youngest overall winner at this level.