Aranburu Tour of the Basque Country third stage triumph restored

After initially being stripped of the Tour of the Basque Country third stage victory, Cofidis rider Alex Aranburu was eventually ruled to have won fairly on Wednesday.

The Basque native crossed the line first but Romain Gregoire was named the winner after Aramburu was disqualified for going the wrong way around a roundabout.

However, organisers later said he was allowed to go the way he chose and admitted there was a mistake with signposting.

"After receiving and reviewing additional evidence... 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," said organisers in a statement on social media.

"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."

Pues a tomar por culo, Alex Aranburu descalificado por tomar la rotonda por donde no era, pero joder no me jodas, si iba a ganar igualmente, que injusto, ánimo Alex, que mala ostia. pic.twitter.com/y9esArLP5l

— ATHLETICtribunerosNO (@AthTribunerosno) April 9, 2025

Max Schachmann maintained the yellow jersey as he came in third behind Gregoire.

Soudal-Quick Step rider Schachmann increased his advantage at the top of the general classification over Red Bull's Florian Lipowitz and Team UAE's Joao Almeida.

Aranburu, Spain's national champion, completed the hilly 156.6 kilometre run from Zarautz to Beasain in just over three hours and 45 minutes.

After Almeida almost crashed at a roundabout, Aranburu ripped past him and went solo in the final stages.

The Basque was then disqualified for having gone the wrong way around the roundabout, before the decision was later reversed.

"It's a very strange feeling. I don't feel like I've won, someone (Aranburu) crossed the line first," Gregoire told Eurosport before Aranburu's win was restored.

Stage four on Thursday takes riders 169.6 kilometres from Beasain to Markina-Xemein, with seven climbs, including the category 1 Izua pass.