Healy breaks clear to take Basque stage as Almeida keeps lead

Ben Healy rode alone for the final 57 kilometres to win the fifth stage of the Tour of the Basque country on Friday as Joao Almeida preserved his overall lead.

Healy and his EF Education team-mate Alex Baudin, were in a six-rider group, also containing veterans Julian Alaphilippe, Warren Barguil, Bruno Armirail and Pello Bilbao, that escaped early on the hilly 172.4km stage from Urduna to Guernica.

The Irishman attacked alone 57km from home, quickly built a two-minute lead and held it even after the pack swallowed the rest of the breakaway and gave chase.

Frenchman Axel Laurance sprinted home second, 1min 47sec behind Healy, and just ahead of Italian Simone Velasco.

It was Healy's second success in a World Tour race after winning a stage with a 50km solo breakaway on the 2023 Giro d'Italia.

The overall top-ten remained unchanged as Almeida retained his yellow leader's jersey, 30 seconds ahead of Maximilian Schachmann and 38 seconds ahead of Florian Lipowitz.

The Portuguese rider will still have to defend his leader's jersey on Saturday's sixth and final 153 km stage.