The cycling season may be over for casual fans, but this weekend’s Clásica de San Sebastián proves there’s plenty of good bike racing still watch this year. The one-day trek on the undulating roads of the Basque Country tends to be pretty exciting, though hopefully this year’s edition will eschew the whole motorcycle-running-into-the-potential-race-winner thing.
The Route
The race is 220.2km long with six “categorized” climbs. The first is just an appetizer to possibly spring a long-range break. Then comes a two-climb circuit that the peloton will traverse twice (for a total of four climbs). The first ascent is the Jaizkibel, basically a small mountain, and then the short but steep Arkale. After two trips up and over both comes the final climb, the Tontorra, also short and steep but harder than the Arkale. From the top, it’s just 8km to the finish, most of it downhill.
The Contenders
On such a hilly parcours, the climbers and punchy classics specialists reign supreme—though the great thing about this race is that both have a shot at winning. Last year was a good example of this: winner Adam Yates is a Grand Tour-type climber, but the rider who probably would have won without moto interference, Greg Van Avermaet, is a Flemish classics star.
To recap, climbing legs and endurance for a tough day on the bike are both key. Having a finishing kick is important too, if you can’t drop everyone before the flat run-in to the line.
Alejandro Valverde is probably the top favorite in a very open field. He’s won before, he’s in good form, and the race suits him perfectly, with a profile hard enough to whittle things down and a finish that allows him to put his descending skills and sprint on display.
BMC brings two riders with excellent prospects. Greg Van Avermaet will probably be itching for revenge. I was actually surprised that he did so well last year (up until getting knocked out of the race) on such a hilly course, but if he could do it then, he can probably do it now. Past winner Philippe Gilbert is another terrific option if the form is there—though that’s a question mark.
Etixx has Dan Martin, who loves this sort of race, but he’s never done well in San Sebastián for whatever reason. Maybe that changes this year, with Rio on the horizon.
Katusha’s Joaquím Rodríguez is definitely a rider to watch. His punchy climbing legs are still among the best in the peloton, even as he nears retirement. Ilnur Zakarin is another option for the squad.
Adam Yates could certainly feature again, though last year’s win was a bit unconventional for me to be that confident in him. His brother Simon Yates and Michael Albasini are other options for the team.
2013 winner Tony Gallopin, Michal Kwiatkowski, Mikel Landa, Alberto Contador, Roman Kreuziger, Bauke Mollema, Diego Ulissi, Jarlinson Pantano, and Tim Wellens are other strong candidates for success Saturday.
VeloHuman Top 10 Race Favorites
Winner: Alejandro Valverde
Podium: Joaquím Rodríguez, Greg Van Avermaet
Other Top Contenders: Philippe Gilbert, Dan Martin, Michal Kwiatkowski, Adam Yates, Tony Gallopin, Tim Wellens, Diego Ulissi