Hat trick: Evenepoel wins third WorldTour one-day race San Sebastian Klasikoa
World champion outsprints Pello Bilbao for victory
Remco Evenepoel became the title co-record holder of the San Sebastian Klasikoa on Saturday, winning a hat trick at the first one-day WorldTour race since May 1’s Eschborn-Frankfurt. The Belgian world champion and Marino Lejarreta both have three victories. Evenepoel beat Pello Bilbao, who took a Tour de France stage on July 11, in a two-up sprint.
The Course
Seven Basque Country climbs were spread out over 230 km, with three in the first half of the course and four in the second half, including the famed Jaizkibel, the very steep Cat. 1 Erlaitz, the Mendizorrotz, and the last ascent, Cat. 2 Murgil .
It's already time to return to San Sebastian (it feels like stage 2 of @LeTour was just yesterday ?)
Here's what the riders face for today's 230km epic ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/eKxZMYonEv
— Team Jayco AlUla (@GreenEDGEteam) July 29, 2023
Romain Bardet was the most noticeable part of the five-rider breakaway that loped over the early climbs. By Climb 4, the peloton had finally closed the gap and a chase group tried to bridge. It was on Erlaitz that things got really grippy. Bardet was solo, the first chase group had been reabsorbed, and Evenepoel charged across the gap with Bilbao, Alexandr Vlasov and Alberto Bettiol. After the descent, the peloton was 43 seconds back.
Evenepoel’s sextet reached 4.1-km, 7.3 percent Mendizorrotz with a 1:15 lead. The world champion applied the pressure, fragmenting the group. By the peak, only Bilbao and Vlasov were left.
On the 20 km of the valley floor leading to the final climb, the pursuers couldn’t make any progress against the trio’s advantage.
The 2.1-km Murgil was a wall at 9.9 percent. Remco cranked it up in the final kilometer but couldn’t dislodge his companions. It was Bilbao’s dig that put the Russian out the back. The Basque fans were losing their minds on the slopes.
The climbing was done. Vlasov toiled in vain to catch up again.
Bilbao led under the red kite. Evenepoel came around him on the right side and claimed his hat trick.
2023 San Sebastian Klasikoa
1) Remco Evenepoel (Belgium/Soudal-QuickStep) 5:30:59
2) Pello Bilbao (Spain/Bahrain-Victorious) s.t.
3) Alexandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:28
