SPAIN: Cyclist Alex Aranburu (Cofidis) was previously disqualified from Stage 3 of the Itzulia Basque Country but was reinstated as the winner after the decision was overturned.
Initially, the win became controversial when helicopter footage showed that the athlete veered off the course and had gone in the wrong direction around the final roundabout during the 157-kilometre stage. People questioned if Aranburu took an illegal route, which caused him to be disqualified.
With this, the victory was given to Romain Gregoire (Groupama-FDJ), who finished second behind Aranburu, and Max Schachmann (Soudal QuickStep) claimed the third place.
However, race officials reviewed the incident and decided to reverse the disqualification, allowing the athlete to retain his victory. The Itzulia Basque Country organisers determined that Aranburu had “correctly followed the planned route” and that the disqualification was a result of an “error in the signage”.
In a social media post, Itzulia Basque Country stated: “Following the initial footage received, we made the decision to disqualify rider number 51 for ‘Deviation from the race route constituting an advantage,’ as the images appeared to show that the rider had taken the roundabout in a way that was deviating from the signposted route…. However, after receiving and reviewing additional evidence, including data from Veloviewer, the roadbook, and the team, it became clear that all available information indicated that the roundabout in question was to be taken in the manner chosen by the Cofidis rider.”
The organisers added: “In accordance with Article 1.2.064 of the UCI regulations, which states that “Riders shall study the course in advance”. In this case, the rider correctly followed the indicated path…Furthermore, the rider’s advantage continued to increase after exiting the roundabout and all the way to the finish line…The race organiser was also consulted and confirmed that there had been a signage error at the roundabout in question.”
“Therefore, the Commissaires’ Panel has decided to overturn its initial decision, and the rider’s passage over the finish line is confirmed as valid.”
Tras las primeras imágenes recibidas, se tomó la decisión de descalificar al dorsal 51 por ‘Desviación del recorrido de la prueba con obtención de ventaja’, ya que las imágenes parecían mostrar que el corredor había tomado la rotonda de una forma que se desviaba del itinerario… pic.twitter.com/O2V2gdIUYn
— Itzulia Basque Country (@ehitzulia) April 9, 2025
Regardless of the issue, Aranburu shared a post on his social media account and said: “SPEECHLESS, thank you all (translated).”
View this post on Instagram
Netizens expressed their support by commenting on the post.
One netizen said: “Great! And congratulations!! 🔥 (translated).”
Another netizen shared: ” Justice was served! 👏👏👏 (translated).”
More netizens said: “Way to go Alex!!! (translated),” “Long live you !!!!!!! 👏👏👏👏 Zorion!!! (translated),” and “Fair victory Alex, how happy I am! 🙌🙌👏👏👏 (translated),”