Pello Bilbao ready to attack on home roads of the Tour de France Grand Départ

Hailing from nearby Guernica, the Bahrain Victorious rider will be looking to spring a surprise on stage one on Saturday

Pello Bilbao
(Image credit: Getty Images)

On the eve of the Tour de France Grand Départ in Bilbao, much of the focus has been on the potential fireworks from Tadej Pogačar that he has promised for the opening stage. 

During Thursday afternoon’s press conference, the Slovenian two-time Tour winner said that despite not fully knowing whether his recently broken wrist had healed, he was ready for a shot at taking the first yellow jersey of the race.

However, despite Pogačar's undoubted popularity, there will be one rider whose name will be cheered far louder on the roads of the Basque Country tomorrow. That man is Bahrain Victorious’ Pello Bilbao, born just down the road in Guernica. 

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Tom Thewlis
News and Features Writer

After previously working in higher education, Tom joined Cycling Weekly in 2022 and hasn't looked back. He's been covering professional cycling ever since; reporting on the ground from some of the sport's biggest races and events, including the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix and the World Championships. His earliest memory of a bike race is watching the Tour on holiday in the early 2000's in the south of France - he even made it on to the podium in Pau afterwards. His favourite place that cycling has taken him is Montréal in Canada.