Preview Clasica San Sebastián 2024 | Vingegaard aims to take over the throne from Evenepoel

While the Olympic Games may have shifted the focus of riders and cycling fans a bit, road racing is still very much underway. This Saturday, after the Tour of Burgos, we stay posted in the north of Spain for the prestigious Clasica San Sebastián. This race features steep, leg-breaking climbs and the legacy of two-time winner Remco Evenepoel. IDLProCycling.com provides a detailed preview.

Typically, the Clasica San Sebastián is held a week after the Tour de France, but due to the Tour finishing a week earlier this year because of the Olympics, few riders will benefit from supercompensation in the Basque region, three weeks post-Tour. This brings an element of unpredictability, as it's unclear who will arrive in Spain bringing that peak form — riders prepping for the Vuelta? Or a surprising contender?

Practical information Clasica San Sebastián 2024

• San Sebastian - San Sebastian (230.3 km)
• Saturday, August 10, 2024
• Participants
• Classification: WorldTour

In this article

• Most recent winners
• Course, weather and times
• Favorites
• TV information

Most recent winners Clasica San Sebastián

2023 Remco Evenepoel
2022 Remco Evenepoel
2021 Neilson Powless
2020 No edition
2019 Remco Evenepoel
2018 Julian Alaphilippe
2017 Michal Kwiatkowski
2016 Bauke Mollema
2015 Adam Yates
2014 Alejandro Valverde

Course, weather and times Clasica San Sebastián 2024

The course of this one-day race, which Evenepoel has won three times in the past, has been significantly altered again this year. The race starts and finishes in San Sebastián, but the route includes several new climbs. The first part of the race features four climbs, which are significantly tougher than those in last year's edition. Notably, the Urraki climb (8.6 km at 6.9%) comes after 107 kilometers and will certainly have an impact on the legs.

In the finale, the organizers have opted for the classic combination of the Jaizkibel (7.9 km at 5.6%) and Erlaitz (3.8 km at 10.6%) climbs, but this time they are much closer to the finish line. The Jaizkibel will be tackled with around 60 kilometers to go, and the Erlaitz with just over 40 kilometers remaining, making this a decisive moment in the race. After the Erlaitz, there's a descent followed by a significant stretch through a valley leading to the Pilotegi — a 2-kilometer climb at 11.7% gradient. The fastest man on the descent from there will likely win the race.

Climbs
27.7 km: Andazarrate (5.9 km at 5.7%)
86.9 km: Azkarate (4.2 km at 7.3%)
107.7 km: Urraki (8.6 km at 6.9%
128.2 km: Alkiza (4.4 km at 6.2%)
175.5 km: Jaizkibel (7.9 km at 5.6%)
195.2 km: Erlaitz (3.8 km at 10.6%)
228.4 km: Pilotegi (2.0 km at 11.7%)

Weather
Like in the Tour of Burgos, the weather in San Sebastián is warm, with temperatures on Saturday expected to exceed 30°C and a moderate northeasterly wind. Staying hydrated and cool will be crucial to maintaining good legs in the finale.

Times

Favorites Clasica San Sebastián 2024

Please note that the list of participants is not yet official, so there may still be changes.

Like we said before, the Spanish one-day race had to adjust its timing this year due to the Olympic Games, and will take place three weeks after Tadej Pogacar claimed victory in Nice. Without the usual supercompensation, riders will have prepared for victory in a different way. The list of contenders is long, with many strong stories. A top favorite? Jonas Vingegaard of Visma | Lease a Bike is the likely candidate. A surprising entry, but with his physical capabilities, he should be able to outpace pretty much anyone else. However, the competition is fierce.

Soudal-Quick Step seems to have strong contenders in Julian Alaphilippe and Mikel Landa. The Frenchman skipped the Tour and performed well at the Olympics on a course that did not necessarily suit him that well. Landa, racing in his home country, ended the Tour in top form and is looking to test himself ahead of the Vuelta a España. This also applies to the UAE Team Emirates riders, with Isaac del Toro and Marc Hirschi being more highly regarded than Marc Soler and Pavel Sivakov, who didn’t race the Tour. But surprises could happen.

Several teams are bringing some riders fresh from the Tour de France, combined with those who haven’t been in the spotlight for a while. EF Education-EasyPost brings Richard Carapaz, who went all out in France. Neilson Powless broke his wrist but showed improving form in the Tour's third week. Can the 2021 winner repeat his success? Young outsider Georg Steinhauser, who won a Giro stage this year, is also one to watch on the steep climbs.

Redbull-BORA-hansgrohe might start with a formidable trio. Giro d'Italia runner-up Daniel Felipe Martinez appears to be the lead rider. BORA can also count on Jai Hindley and the revelation of Romandie, Florian Lipowitz. Movistar's selection includes several dark horses, targeting strong Colombian climbers Einer Rubio and Iván Sosa, along with the more explosive Pelayo Sanchez, a stage winner in the Giro, and Ruben Guerreiro.

At Bahrain Victorious, attention will be on Pello Bilbao and Santiago Buitrago. Bilbao, who finished second last year, will aim to perform well in his home region, though his form is uncertain after abandoning the Tour de France. Buitrago, on the other hand, has no such doubts, having recently finished his first Tour in the top ten and delivered a strong performance in the Olympic road race. At Lidl-Trek, Giulio Ciccone seems to be the leading man, supported by Juanpé López and Andrea Bagioli, who could also aim for strong finishes themselves. Former winner Bauke Mollema is also part of the squad, though he hasn’t shown top form in recent months.

There are also several strong duos to watch. Consider the talented Belgians Maxim Van Gils and Lennert Van Eetvelt at Lotto-Dstny. dsm-firmenich PostNL places its hopes on Romain Bardet and in-form Kevin Vermaerke. Jhonatan Narváez and Magnus Sheffield are the key riders for INEOS Grenadiers. Israel-Premier Tech hopes for a resurgence from Michael Woods, though they may have higher expectations for American climber Matthew Riccitello, who is having a breakout year.

Sepp Kuss heads straight to the Basque one-day race after his victory in the Tour of Burgos. The Visma | Lease a Bike climber seems to have found his top form after a pretty challenging season. Visma also has Tiesj Benoot, third in 2022. Ben O'Connor is the lead rider for Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, with talented Frenchman Alex Baudin as a potential surprise performer. Other French youngsters to watch include Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ) and Axel Laurance (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Additional contenders for strong finishes include Simone Velasco (Astana-Qazaqstan), local favorite Ion Izagirre, Jesús Herrada (both Cofidis) and Norwegian Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility).

Favorites Clasica San Sebastián 2024, according to IDLProCycling.com

Top favorites: Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-Quick Step) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)
Outsiders: Mikel Landa (Soudal-Quick Step), Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates), Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike), Maxim Van Gils (Lotto-Dstny), Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla), Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), Ben O'Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) and Daniel Felipe Martinez (Redbull-BORA-hansgrohe)

TV Clasica San Sebastián 2024

Eurosport will broadcast the Spanish one-day race starting at 3 PM locally / 9 AM EST, although due to the Olympics, it can only be streamed online via HBO Max, with the sports package.