@Roadpaint / Twitter
@Roadpaint / Twitter
We’re more than halfway through the Tour de France 2018, as Geraint Thomas earned the yellow jersey during stage 11 on Wednesday. But while you were watching the action, you might have heard and seen a few things about “the Basque country”.
So if you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. The tour makes its way further through the south-west over the next week or so, you’ll need to brush up on your history.
Where is the Basque country?
It’s the name given to a north-central region of Spain and the far south-western region of France. It includes the cities of Bilbao, San Sebastian and provincial capital Vitoria-Gasteiz within the borders of Spain, whereas Bayonne and Biarritz are the chief municipalities within French territory.
What is the Basque country?
The region has had its own strong sense of identity for hundreds of years but has never been granted full independence. The Spanish Constitution in 1978 elected to hand the region autonomous power and the Basque region enjoys a degree of sovereignty from its host nations.
However, a large number of local citizens want to secede from the state, and will only recognise themselves as Basque, rather than Spanish or French.
What is the Basque flag?
The flag was designed by the Basque Nationalist Party EAJ-PNV. It is known as the national, yet still-unofficial symbol of the territory (Euskal Herria).
The designs have a few similarities to the British Union Jack, consisting of a white cross over a green saltire on a red field.
Tour de France 2018: Stage 12
Distance: 108.5km
Profile: The Alpine section comes to one helluva close, with a twisty, turny slog up the terrifying Alpe D’Huez.
How to watch and start time
The action will be live on SuperSport 5 from 12:00 and should finish at around 18:00. If you don’t have a Dstv subscription, you can follow Le Tour’s YouTube channel to catch up with all the latest highlights.
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