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Huge win for Adam Yates in the Clasica San Sebastian

August 1, 2015
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Second-year Orica-GreenEdge pro Adam Yates took the biggest win of his career Saturday by becoming the first Brit to triumph in the WorldTour Clasica San Sebastian in Spain’s Basque country. Yates nabbed the winner’s txapela, the traditional large Basque beret, by attacking on the final climb of the day.

A breakaway of eight scooted away early and rolled over the first climb of the day intact. The race entered a circuit it would tackle twice, with the Cat. 1 Jaizkebel and the Cat. 2 Arkale in each lap, before hauling itself up the short but very steep Bordako Tontorro, which peaked eight kilometres from the finish in San Sebastian.

Escapee Nathan Haas (Australia/Cannondale-Garmin) lipped over the first passage of the Jaizkebel in the lead and the ripped away from the others on the Arkale. His breakmates brought him back before the second passage. Movistar worked in the peloton for their leader, two-time winner Alejandro Valverde.

On the second climb of the Jaizkebel, a strong counterattack surged from the peloton and the fugitives’ gap shrank as Movistar tried to bring the chase back. It was breakaway Manuele Boaro (Italy/Tinkoff-Saxo) leaving his companions behind on the Jaizkebel. Movistar found itself with four separate groups up the road. Boaro received reinforcements before the second clamber up the Arkale with 35-km remaining.

The chase groups had congealed into a formidable bunch that put Movistar under pressure. The Spanish team got help from Katusha, looking after the interests of Joaquim Rodriguez. The race came back together on the Arkale, but only long enough for everyone to catch his breath.

Philippe Gilbert (Belgium/BMC), the 2011 winner, shot up the ascent and Ryder Hesjedal was one of the men who went after him. Gilbert had a small group with him when he went over the finish line for the first time, with Hesjedal in a chase quartet.

Bordako Tontorro, the final climb, is 2.5-km of 9% with three 100-metres sections of 20%. Just before the wall, the two leading groups merged. Frenchman Warren Barguil (Giant-Alpecin), 14th at the Tour de France, scampered away from his breakmates on the steepest slopes of the Bordako.

The break was caught, prompting Adam Yates (Great Britain/Orica-GreenEdge) to attack over the top. He had five kilometres of downhill and 3-km of flat before the line. Valverde and Rodriguez were part of the chase but it was disorganized. Yates didn’t realize he had finished and celebrated a little late. Gilbert placed runner-up and Valverde climbed onto the podium for the fifth time.


2015 Clasica San Sebastian
1) Adam Yates (Great Britain/Orica-GreenEdge) 5:30:22
2) Philippe Gilbert (Belgium/BMC) +0:15
3) Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Movistar) s.t.
66) Ryder Hesjedal (Canada/Cannondale-Garmin) +4:03
77) Hugo Houle (Canada/Ag2r) +6:18

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