Day one kicks of in the seaside party and surfing town of Zarautz with a circuit that winds along the picturesque coastal road before cutting in land and crossing the Cat. 3 Meagas. The route laps this circuit three times before a final nasty ascent of the Cat. 2 Garate, which, although only 2kms in length, kicks in at 16% and summits 7kms before the plunge back to the beach.

Stage 2 heads out of Giupuzkoa and into Bizkaia. It commences with a couple of Cat. 3s, the Itziar and the Arieto, which rises out of Ermua and drops into the valley which the riders will follow down past Durango to Bilbao. After a sprint outside the Athletic Bilbao soccer ground, the race enters the


Las Encartaciones region with its continual run of sharp pitches. This is a great day for an escape to make some time early, but they will have to fight to hold their lead over the Cat. 2, Arborleda, the nasty Cat. 3 Cobaron Cat. 3 and the 8.5km ascent to the finish on the Cat. 2, La Lejana.

Stage 3 takes the race out of Bizkaia through the territory of the GP Llodio, and into the plateau country of Araba. The climb up to the plateau is via the Cat. 2 La Barrerilla, which will be familiar to Ciclismo Euskadi camp-goers, as the winding climb up the rock face from Orduña back home to their base in Murgia. After that and before finishing in the Basque Government's capital in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the stage goes up two sides of the Cat. 2 Zaldiaran to the south in the Sierra, which forms the land border between the Basque Country and the wine producing area of la Rioja.

From Gasteiz, Stage 4 heads east towards Navarra and has a heap of difficult encounters along the entire route. The Cat. 1 Opakua falls early on and could be another launching pad for a break that will then have the Cat. 2 Urbasa, the Cat. 3 Altamira and two ascents including the final mountain top finish of La Cadena (Cat. 3). If that's not enough, the race's 'queen stage' will be fought over a mere 93 kms and will finish atop the beastly Cat. 2 Arantzazu, which, over its 8kms, kicks in at 10 percent plus before steadying out for a 6km grind of around 6%. This will be the last chance for the climbers to position themselves before the afternoons 9.3 km closing time trial in the ancient university city of Oñati. The race against the clock will be flat by Basque standards, but even then will have an altitude gain of 150 metres or so up and over the Alto de Olalde, before dropping back into town.