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Adam Yates set to defend Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian title

Valverde, Porte, Mollema and Hesjedal looking to wear the winner's txapela

July 28, 2016
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The WorldTour’s one-day races return with Saturday’s Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian in the Basque part of Spain. The last single-day race in the WorldTour was Liège-Bastogne-Liège in late April. Red hot Adam Yates (Great Britain/Orica-BikeExchange), fresh from his fourth-place and young riders’ jersey in the Tour de France, will return to defend his title against stiff competition.


Yates’ 2015 triumph was a confusing one, as he didn’t realize he had won the race. There was also a collision between attacking Greg Van Avermaet and a moto in last season’s contest and in the chaos, Yates believed there was another rider ahead of him.

The 219-km of the 36th edition take in several circuits around San Sebastian and is rather mountainous, with three Cat. 1 climbs and three Cat. 2’s, including the nasty but short Bordako Tontorro peaking 8-km from the finish line. Riders will also face two trips up the Jaizkibel and the Arkale in the last 100-km.


Several riders from the Tour’s top-10 will try to wrest the winner’s txapela hat from Yates. Two-time winner Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Movistar) likes the course. Dan Martin (Ireland/Etixx-QuickStep) came 7th last year. Richie Porte (Australia/BMC) was certainly one of the strongest riders in France. Retiring at the end of the season, Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain/Katusha) would like to go out with a bang.


Lotto-Soudal’s Tony Gallopin is the 2013 champion and best French hope for the txapela. Bauke Mollema‘s 11th in the Tour the result of the Dutchman’s bad luck, not his form. Who would bet against Colombian Jarlinson Pantano, whose attacking elan in the Tour certainly earned him a ride somewhere after IAM Cycling bows out?
Canadians in the mix are Yate’s teammate Christian Meier, back in the race for the first time since 2012. Michael Woods (Cannondale-Drapac) and Ryder Hesjedal (Trek-Segafredo) were among the 50% of the Tour of Poland riders who did not finish in mid-July. Hesjedal came 6th in 2010. Hugo Houle (AG2R) was runner-up in June’s Tour de Beauce.

Yates will be riding with his twin Simon–who won the best young rider category in last season’s Critérium du Dauphiné–for the first time since April’s Pais Vasco stage race. Simon just returned from serving a four-month suspension for terbutaline without a therapeutic use exemption from the UCI.