# 2015 Tour of the Basque Country

The 2015 Tour of the Basque Country was the 55th edition of the Tour of the Basque Country stage race. It took place from 6 to 11 April and was the ninth race of the 2015 UCI World Tour. The race was won by Joaquim Rodríguez.

## Schedule

List of stages :
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner |
| 1 | 6 April | Bilbao to Bilbao | 162.7 km (101 mi) | Intermediate stage | Michael Matthews (AUS) |
| 2 | 7 April | Bilbao to Vitoria-Gasteiz | 175.4 km (109 mi) | Intermediate stage | Fabio Felline (ITA) |
| 3 | 8 April | Vitoria-Gasteiz to Zumarraga | 170.7 km (106 mi) | Intermediate stage | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) |
| 4 | 9 April | Zumarraga to Arrate [es] (Eibar) | 162.2 km (101 mi) | Mountain stage | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) |
| 5 | 10 April | Eibar to Aia | 155.5 km (97 mi) | Intermediate stage | Mikel Landa (ESP) |
| 6 | 11 April | Aia to Aia | 18.3 km (11 mi) | Individual time trial | Tom Dumoulin (NED) |

## Teams

As the Tour of the Basque Country was a UCI World Tour event, all 17 UCI WorldTeams were invited automatically and were obliged to send a squad. Two Professional Continental teams received wildcard invitations.
UCI WorldTeams
* AG2R La Mondiale
* Astana
* BMC Racing Team
* Etixx–Quick-Step
* FDJ
* IAM Cycling
* Lampre–Merida
* Lotto–Soudal
* Movistar Team
* Orica–GreenEDGE
* Cannondale–Garmin
* Team Giant–Alpecin
* Team Katusha
* LottoNL–Jumbo
* Team Sky
* Tinkoff–Saxo
* Trek Factory Racing
UCI Professional Continental teams
* Cofidis
* Caja Rural–Seguros RGA

## Stages
### Stage 1
#### 6 April 2015 — Bilbao to Bilbao, 162.7 km (101.1 mi)

Stage 1 result and general classification after stage 1 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Michael Matthews (AUS) | Orica–GreenEDGE | 3h 57' 07" |
| 2 | Michał Kwiatkowski (POL) | Etixx–Quick-Step | + 0" |
| 3 | Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 0" |
| 4 | Kévin Reza (FRA) | FDJ | + 0" |
| 5 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Soudal | + 0" |
| 6 | Julien Simon (FRA) | Cofidis | + 0" |
| 7 | Fabio Felline (ITA) | Trek Factory Racing | + 0" |
| 8 | Valerio Agnoli (ITA) | Astana | + 0" |
| 9 | Petr Vakoč (CZE) | Etixx–Quick-Step | + 0" |
| 10 | Daniel Moreno (ESP) | Team Katusha | + 0" |

### Stage 2
#### 7 April 2015 — Bilbao to Vitoria-Gasteiz, 175.4 km (109.0 mi)

Stage 2 result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Fabio Felline (ITA) | Trek Factory Racing | 4h 32' 32" |
| 2 | Michael Matthews (AUS) | Orica–GreenEDGE | + 0" |
| 3 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Soudal | + 0" |
| 4 | Michał Kwiatkowski (POL) | Etixx–Quick-Step | + 0" |
| 5 | Philippe Gilbert (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 0" |
| 6 | Kévin Reza (FRA) | FDJ | + 0" |
| 7 | Julien Simon (FRA) | Cofidis | + 0" |
| 8 | Pello Bilbao (ESP) | Caja Rural–Seguros RGA | + 0" |
| 9 | Valerio Agnoli (ITA) | Astana | + 0" |
| 10 | Gianni Meersman (BEL) | Etixx–Quick-Step | + 0" |
General classification after stage 2 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Michael Matthews (AUS) | Orica–GreenEDGE | 8h 29' 39" |
| 2 | Michał Kwiatkowski (POL) | Etixx–Quick-Step | + 0" |
| 3 | Fabio Felline (ITA) | Trek Factory Racing | + 0" |
| 4 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Soudal | + 0" |
| 5 | Kévin Reza (FRA) | FDJ | + 0" |
| 6 | Julien Simon (FRA) | Cofidis | + 0" |
| 7 | Valerio Agnoli (ITA) | Astana | + 0" |
| 8 | Pello Bilbao (ESP) | Caja Rural–Seguros RGA | + 0" |
| 9 | Daniel Moreno (ESP) | Team Katusha | + 0" |
| 10 | Petr Vakoč (CZE) | Etixx–Quick-Step | + 0" |

### Stage 3
#### 8 April 2015 — Vitoria-Gasteiz to Zumarraga, 170.7 km (106.1 mi)

Stage 3 result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Team Katusha | 4h 39' 02" |
| 2 | Sergio Henao (COL) | Team Sky | + 0" |
| 3 | Nairo Quintana (COL) | Movistar Team | + 0" |
| 4 | Michał Kwiatkowski (POL) | Etixx–Quick-Step | + 7" |
| 5 | Rafał Majka (POL) | Tinkoff–Saxo | + 7" |
| 6 | Michele Scarponi (ITA) | Astana | + 7" |
| 7 | Samuel Sánchez (ESP) | BMC Racing Team | + 7" |
| 8 | Simon Yates (GBR) | Orica–GreenEDGE | + 10" |
| 9 | Simon Špilak (SLO) | Team Katusha | + 10" |
| 10 | Tejay van Garderen (USA) | BMC Racing Team | + 10" |
General classification after stage 3 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Sergio Henao (COL) | Team Sky | 13h 08' 41" |
| 2 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Team Katusha | + 0" |
| 3 | Nairo Quintana (COL) | Movistar Team | + 0" |
| 4 | Michał Kwiatkowski (POL) | Etixx–Quick-Step | + 7" |
| 5 | Samuel Sánchez (ESP) | BMC Racing Team | + 7" |
| 6 | Rafał Majka (POL) | Tinkoff–Saxo | + 7" |
| 7 | Michele Scarponi (ITA) | Astana | + 7" |
| 8 | Daniel Moreno (ESP) | Team Katusha | + 10" |
| 9 | Alexis Vuillermoz (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 10" |
| 10 | Tejay van Garderen (USA) | BMC Racing Team | + 10" |

### Stage 4
#### 9 April 2015 — Zumarraga to Arrate [es] (Eibar), 162.2 km (100.8 mi)

Stage 4 result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Team Katusha | 4h 05' 10" |
| 2 | Bauke Mollema (NED) | Trek Factory Racing | + 0" |
| 3 | Simon Yates (GBR) | Orica–GreenEDGE | + 0" |
| 4 | Ion Izagirre (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 0" |
| 5 | Sergio Henao (COL) | Team Sky | + 0" |
| 6 | Michele Scarponi (ITA) | Astana | + 0" |
| 7 | Nairo Quintana (COL) | Movistar Team | + 0" |
| 8 | Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 0" |
| 9 | Rui Costa (POR) | Lampre–Merida | + 0" |
| 10 | Thibaut Pinot (FRA) | FDJ | + 0" |
General classification after stage 4 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Sergio Henao (COL) | Team Sky | 17h 13' 51" |
| 2 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Team Katusha | + 0" |
| 3 | Nairo Quintana (COL) | Movistar Team | + 0" |
| 4 | Michele Scarponi (ITA) | Astana | + 7" |
| 5 | Bauke Mollema (NED) | Trek Factory Racing | + 10" |
| 6 | Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 10" |
| 7 | Tejay van Garderen (USA) | BMC Racing Team | + 10" |
| 8 | Ion Izagirre (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 10" |
| 9 | Simon Yates (GBR) | Orica–GreenEDGE | + 10" |
| 10 | Simon Špilak (SLO) | Team Katusha | + 10" |

### Stage 5
#### 10 April 2015 — Eibar to Aia, 155.5 km (96.6 mi)

Stage 5 result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Mikel Landa (ESP) | Astana | 4h 06' 01" |
| 2 | Tim Wellens (BEL) | Lotto–Soudal | + 3" |
| 3 | Tom Danielson (USA) | Cannondale–Garmin | + 16" |
| 4 | Rein Taaramäe (EST) | Astana | + 28" |
| 5 | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | Lotto–Soudal | + 38" |
| 6 | Simon Yates (GBR) | Orica–GreenEDGE | + 53" |
| 7 | Sergio Henao (COL) | Team Sky | + 56" |
| 8 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Team Katusha | + 56" |
| 9 | Tom-Jelte Slagter (NED) | Cannondale–Garmin | + 1' 05" |
| 10 | Alexis Vuillermoz (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | + 1' 06" |
General classification after stage 5 :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Sergio Henao (COL) | Team Sky | 21h 20' 48" |
| 2 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Team Katusha | + 0" |
| 3 | Simon Yates (GBR) | Orica–GreenEDGE | + 7" |
| 4 | Nairo Quintana (COL) | Movistar Team | + 12" |
| 5 | Michele Scarponi (ITA) | Astana | + 22" |
| 6 | Simon Špilak (SLO) | Team Katusha | + 22" |
| 7 | Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 28" |
| 8 | Ion Izagirre (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 28" |
| 9 | Tejay van Garderen (USA) | BMC Racing Team | + 36" |
| 10 | Thibaut Pinot (FRA) | FDJ | + 36" |

### Stage 6
#### 11 April 2015 — Aia to Aia, 18.3 km (11.4 mi), individual time trial (ITT)

Stage 6 result :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Tom Dumoulin (NED) | Team Giant–Alpecin | 28' 46" |
| 2 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Team Katusha | + 4" |
| 3 | Ion Izagirre (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 5" |
| 4 | Sergio Henao (COL) | Team Sky | + 17" |
| 5 | Beñat Intxausti (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 21" |
| 6 | Fabio Felline (ITA) | Trek Factory Racing | + 23" |
| 7 | Nairo Quintana (COL) | Movistar Team | + 30" |
| 8 | Rui Costa (POR) | Lampre–Merida | + 34" |
| 9 | Rein Taaramäe (EST) | Astana | + 36" |
| 10 | Michał Kwiatkowski (POL) | Etixx–Quick-Step | + 37" |
Final general classification :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Team Katusha | 21h 49' 38" |
| 2 | Sergio Henao (COL) | Team Sky | + 13" |
| 3 | Ion Izagirre (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 29" |
| 4 | Nairo Quintana (COL) | Movistar Team | + 38" |
| 5 | Simon Yates (GBR) | Orica–GreenEDGE | + 46" |
| 6 | Michele Scarponi (ITA) | Astana | + 1' 06" |
| 7 | Rui Costa (POR) | Lampre–Merida | + 1' 14" |
| 8 | Michał Kwiatkowski (POL) | Etixx–Quick-Step | + 1' 15" |
| 9 | Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 1' 25" |
| 10 | Thibaut Pinot (FRA) | FDJ | + 1' 33" |

## Classification leadership table

In the Tour of the Basque Country, four different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, the leader received a yellow jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the Tour of the Basque Country, and the winner of the classification was the winner of the race.
Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a white jersey. In the points classification, cyclists received points for finishing in the top 15 in a stage. For winning a stage, a rider earned 25 points, second place earned 20 points, third 16, fourth 14, fifth 12, sixth 10, and one point fewer per place down to a single point for 15th. There was also a mountains classification, the leadership of which was marked by a red jersey with white dots. In the mountains classification, points were won by reaching the top of a climb before other cyclists, with more points available for the higher-categorised climbs.
The fourth jersey represented the sprints classification, marked by a blue jersey. In the sprints classification, cyclists received points for finishing in the top 3 at intermediate sprint points during each stage, with the exception of the final individual time trial stage. There was also a classification for teams, in which the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added together; the leading team at the end of the race was the team with the lowest total time.
| Stage | Winner | General classification | Points classification | Mountains classification | Sprints classification | Teams classification |
| 1 | Michael Matthews | Michael Matthews | Michael Matthews | Omar Fraile | Omar Fraile | Etixx–Quick-Step |
| 2 | Fabio Felline | Michael Matthews | Michael Matthews | Amets Txurruka | Louis Vervaeke | Etixx–Quick-Step |
| 3 | Joaquim Rodríguez | Sergio Henao | Michał Kwiatkowski | Omar Fraile | Omar Fraile | Team Katusha |
| 4 | Joaquim Rodríguez | Sergio Henao | Michał Kwiatkowski | Omar Fraile | Omar Fraile | Team Katusha |
| 5 | Mikel Landa | Sergio Henao | Joaquim Rodríguez | Omar Fraile | Louis Vervaeke | Team Katusha |
| 6 | Tom Dumoulin | Joaquim Rodríguez | Joaquim Rodríguez | Omar Fraile | Louis Vervaeke | Team Katusha |
| Final | Final | Joaquim Rodríguez | Joaquim Rodríguez | Omar Fraile | Louis Vervaeke | Team Katusha |