Remco Evenepoel Favoured to Win Clásica San Sebastián After Tour de France
Chasing History in the Basque Country
Fresh off a career-best performance in Paris, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leader Remco Evenepoel is turning his immediate focus to the Donostia Klasikoa. Having previously secured victories in 2019, 2022, and 2023, Evenepoel enters the 221.1-kilometre event tied with 1980s racer Marino Lejarreta for the most wins in the race’s history. The primary physical question heading into Saturday afternoon centers on whether the Belgian star has recovered sufficiently from an intense three-week Grand Tour compared to fresher rivals who skipped France.
Tactical Breakdown and the Murgil Climb
The 221.1-kilometre course stands as one of the hilliest one-day races on the WorldTour calendar, divided into a selective first half featuring four categorized climbs followed by a brutal final 80 kilometres. Major ascents include the Jaizkibel, Erlaitz, and the notoriously steep Murgil climb, which summits just 8.2 kilometres before the finish line in San Sebastián. Historical data from Evenepoel’s prior victories highlights his aggressive late-race execution: he escaped after the penultimate climb in 2019, used the Erlaitz ascent with 44 kilometres remaining in 2022, and out-maneuvered Pello Bilbao in 2023.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe brings a formidable support squad to San Sebastián featuring Maxim Van Gils, Giulio Pelizzari, and Dani Martínez. This deep roster composition allows the German team tactical flexibility to control early breakaways and protect their leader over the steep Basque terrain.
Rival Rosters and Contenders
While past winners and heavy hitters like Tadej Pogačar and Isaac del Toro are absent from the start list, the peloton retains significant climbing talent. Bahrain Victorious fields fifth-placed Tour de France finisher Lenny Martinez—though the Frenchman recorded DNFs in both of his previous appearances—alongside veteran Pello Bilbao, who retires at the end of the season. Lidl-Trek shifts leadership to defending champion Giulio Ciccone, who soloed to victory last year, supported by Quinn Simmons and Derek Gee-West after Mattias Skjelmose and Juan Ayuso take post-Tour breaks.
Additional contenders feature EF Education-EasyPost deploying Ben Healy and Alex Baudin, Visma-Lease a Bike running Matteo Jorgenson and Ben Tulett, and UAE Team Emirates XRG entering last year’s runner-up Jan Christen alongside triple Giro d’Italia stage winner Jhonatan Narváez. Jayco-AlUla relies on Mauro Schmid following a stage win in France, while Tudor Pro Cycling looks to Marc Hirschi, the 2024 race winner. Rounding out the primary challengers are Lennert van Eetvelt of Lotto Intermarché, Max Poole of Picnic-PostNL, David Gaudu of Groupama-FDJ, and Oscar Onley of Netcompany Ineos.