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The Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco is held in mid-April, offering an important alternative to the cobbles of Belgium and Northern France for the riders who excel in hilly races.

It is always a testing race, with the best rider emerging over the six days of racing. Proof of that comes from the 2009 victory of Spain’s Alberto Contador, who went on to win the Tour de France and dominate the 2009 UCI World Ranking.

The Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco is known as the Tour of the Basque Country in English. It was first held in 1935 with the modern version of the race being re-established in 1969. The race is now organised by the Basque newspaper Diario Vasco and is one of the cornerstones of the UCI ProTour series.

Contador won the 2009 Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco thanks to a controlled ride in the hilly stages and a powerful performance in the 24km time trial around the town of Zalla. He was already wearing the leader’s yellow jersey before the final stage but extended his lead to 30 seconds.

Contador will be back in 2010 but will face competition from all the other stage race stars in the peloton, including Andy and Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank), World Champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) and Spanish rival Samuel Sanchez, who rides for the Euskaltel-Euskadi team based in the Basque Country.

Race Director Jose Luis Arrieta has worked hard on the 2010 route. The six days of racing start in the town of Lekeitio and end in Orio. In between there will be some tough climbs and testing finishes in the Basque hills before a short but decisive 20km final time trial stage.