Description
August 1, 2026
45th DSSK (Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa) 2026 🇪🇸 (1.UWT) ME – San Sebastián – San Sebastián : 221,2 km
Clásica San Sebastián is a UCI WorldTour classification one-day event that unfolds along the rugged and scenic roads of the Basque Country,
Show more...
August 1, 2026
45th DSSK (Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa) 2026 🇪🇸 (1.UWT) ME – San Sebastián – San Sebastián : 221,2 km
Clásica San Sebastián is a UCI WorldTour classification one-day event that unfolds along the rugged and scenic roads of the Basque Country, where the parcours is defined by its relentless succession of short, steep climbs and technical descents through the green hills and coastal vistas of northern Spain. The terrain is a mix of narrow, winding roads and wider, faster stretches, with climbs featuring gradients of 8–15% on irregular, often punchy ascents that test both power and precision. The race typically includes iconic climbs like the Alto de Jaizkibel and Alto de Arkale, where the roads narrow, the gradients kick upward, and the peloton is forced to stretch and fracture under the pressure. The descents are fast and technical, with tight hairpins and uneven surfaces that demand sharp bike-handling skills. The race dynamics are shaped by the constant attacks and counterattacks that launch on the steepest sections, particularly on the final loops around San Sebastián. The peloton rarely has time to regroup, as the climbs come in quick succession, and the narrow roads limit opportunities for recovery. The wind can play a role on the exposed coastal sections, where crosswinds add an extra layer of difficulty. The finish is typically contested in one of two ways: either a reduced bunch sprint on a slightly uphill drag in the final kilometers, or a solo move or small group that escapes on the last climb and holds off the chasers to the line. The Clásica San Sebastián is a race of explosive power and tactical intelligence, where the combination of steep climbs, technical descents, and relentless pacing creates a thrilling and unpredictable spectacle.
Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) has claimed a record fourth victory at Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa, outsprinting late-race breakaway companion Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) at the finish line in San Sebastián.
“Fourth was the hardest, the most tricky,” Evenepoel said as he celebrated his win surrounded by the international and local media, having had to chase back to the front of the race after a mechanical issue at a key moment earlier in the day.
It all came down to the final ascent of the Murgil, where Evenepoel made his decisive attack and only Carapaz could follow. The pair held off a chase group on the descent and run-in to the finish, with Ben Tulett (Visma-Lease a Bike) sprinting to the final place on the podium.
Carapaz led the pair into the final kilometre, where Evenepoel then took his turn on the front, but with several hundred metres to go, Carapaz regained the lead only for Evenepoel to sprint around him to take the victory.
“It was the most difficult one of all four,” Evenepoel said in the TV interview after the finish.
“After the downhill of Jaizkibel, I had a flat tire. We know that Erlaitz was coming up super quick, so I had to be patient. I have to thank my team for all the work, of course. Giulio Pellizzari did a very good job on the bottom of Erlaitz to bring me as close as possible, and Maxim [Van Gils] was being patient in the front waiting for me.”
“So, in the end, I had to finish off the work of my teammates. What a day and a beautiful victory again.”
How it unfolded
The 45th DSSK – Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa – offered the WorldTour peloton a 221.1km race in and around San Sebastián.
The challenging route included seven categorised ascents over Kalbario, Azkarate, Urraki and Alkiza before entering the first (and longer) final circuit, which included climbs over Jaizkibel (7.9km at 5.6%) and Erlaitz (3.8km at 10.6%). The race then hit a flat section toward the shorter circuit and the final climb of the day, Murgil, which was only 2.1km but with an average gradient of 10.1% before a descent to the finish line in San Sebastián.
After finishing second overall at the Tour de France, Evenepoel lined up with his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe squad in an attempt to claim a fourth victory at the one-day race in San Sebastián. Another favourite on the start line was defending champion Giulio Ciccone from Lidl-Trek, and another former winner, Marc Hirschi, racing for Tudor Pro Cycling.
After multiple short-lived attacks, a breakaway of eight emerged within the first 30km that included Tim Rex (Visma-Lease a Bike), Iñigo Elosegui (Equipo Kern Pharma), Ådne Holter (Uno-X Mobility), Valentin Ferron (Cofidis), Lorenzo Quartucci (Burgos Burpellet BH), Nicolás Alustiza (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Nickolas Zukowsky (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling), and Joan Bou (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA).
The eight riders still had a nearly two-minute lead on the reduced peloton with 70km to go, ahead of the last three climbs of the race. Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe continued to lead the peloton for their leader Evenepoel.
As the breakaway approached the final climbs, Rex and Quartucci surged, clearing their rivals with Elosegui struggling to hang on a few seconds behind.
From the main group, four chasers emerged over the Jaizkibel, including Bart Lemmen (Visma-Lease a Bike), Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), Michael Leonard (EF Education-EasyPost) and Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). The quartet caught and passed the remnants of the early breakaway – all but Rex and Quartucci – forming a reshuffling front group of six.
Over the Erlaitz, however, Van Gils was the only rider who remained out front before being joined by Ciccone, Matteo Jorgenson and Louis Barré (Visma-Lease a Bike), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Paul Double (Jayco AlUla), Felix Gall and Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM), Mathys Rondel (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Enric Mas (Movistar) emerged as the new leaders of the race.
Not far behind, Evenepoel joined a chase group that included Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost), Jan Christen, Kevin Vermaerke and Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious), Bjorn Koerdt (Picnic PostNL), Gianmarco Garofoli (Soudal-QuickStep) and Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech).
Despite their efforts, the groups reconnected on the flat sections toward the final smaller circuit and into the decisive Murgil with 10km remaining.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG led the reduced peloton into the lower slopes of the ascent, but Narváez struggled to hang on, with rivals Evenepoel, on the wheel of teammate Van Gils, Carapaz and Gall all in good position.
Evenepoel surged with 8.7km to go, partway up the climb, with Carapaz on his wheel as the two cleared the rest of the selection over the top in what was reminiscent of the battles on the slopes of the major ascents of the Tour de France in July – where Carapaz won two stages, and Evenepoel finished second overall behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
Ciccone and Barré may have struggled to stay with the two riders on the climb, but they attempted to bridge across on the descent and run-in to the finish line, and they were later joined by the rest of the chase group – the sprint between the Evenepoel and Carapaz.
Results :
 2026 🇪🇸 (1.UWT) ME </strong> - San Sebastián - San Sebastián : 221,2 km
<!--more-->
Clásica San Sebastián is a UCI WorldTour classification one-day event that unfolds along the rugged and scenic roads of the Basque Country, where the parcours is defined by its relentless succession of short, steep climbs and technical descents through the green hills and coastal vistas of northern Spain. The terrain is a mix of narrow, winding roads and wider, faster stretches, with climbs featuring gradients of 8–15% on irregular, often punchy ascents that test both power and precision. The race typically includes iconic climbs like the Alto de Jaizkibel and Alto de Arkale, where the roads narrow, the gradients kick upward, and the peloton is forced to stretch and fracture under the pressure. The descents are fast and technical, with tight hairpins and uneven surfaces that demand sharp bike-handling skills. The race dynamics are shaped by the constant attacks and counterattacks that launch on the steepest sections, particularly on the final loops around San Sebastián. The peloton rarely has time to regroup, as the climbs come in quick succession, and the narrow roads limit opportunities for recovery. The wind can play a role on the exposed coastal sections, where crosswinds add an extra layer of difficulty. The finish is typically contested in one of two ways: either a reduced bunch sprint on a slightly uphill drag in the final kilometers, or a solo move or small group that escapes on the last climb and holds off the chasers to the line. The Clásica San Sebastián is a race of explosive power and tactical intelligence, where the combination of steep climbs, technical descents, and relentless pacing creates a thrilling and unpredictable spectacle.
Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) has claimed a record fourth victory at Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa, outsprinting late-race breakaway companion Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) at the finish line in San Sebastián.
"Fourth was the hardest, the most tricky," Evenepoel said as he celebrated his win surrounded by the international and local media, having had to chase back to the front of the race after a mechanical issue at a key moment earlier in the day.
It all came down to the final ascent of the Murgil, where Evenepoel made his decisive attack and only Carapaz could follow. The pair held off a chase group on the descent and run-in to the finish, with Ben Tulett (Visma-Lease a Bike) sprinting to the final place on the podium.
Carapaz led the pair into the final kilometre, where Evenepoel then took his turn on the front, but with several hundred metres to go, Carapaz regained the lead only for Evenepoel to sprint around him to take the victory.
"It was the most difficult one of all four," Evenepoel said in the TV interview after the finish.
"After the downhill of Jaizkibel, I had a flat tire. We know that Erlaitz was coming up super quick, so I had to be patient. I have to thank my team for all the work, of course. Giulio Pellizzari did a very good job on the bottom of Erlaitz to bring me as close as possible, and Maxim [Van Gils] was being patient in the front waiting for me."
"So, in the end, I had to finish off the work of my teammates. What a day and a beautiful victory again."
<strong>How it unfolded</strong>
The 45th DSSK - Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa - offered the WorldTour peloton a 221.1km race in and around San Sebastián.
The challenging route included seven categorised ascents over Kalbario, Azkarate, Urraki and Alkiza before entering the first (and longer) final circuit, which included climbs over Jaizkibel (7.9km at 5.6%) and Erlaitz (3.8km at 10.6%). The race then hit a flat section toward the shorter circuit and the final climb of the day, Murgil, which was only 2.1km but with an average gradient of 10.1% before a descent to the finish line in San Sebastián.
After finishing second overall at the Tour de France, Evenepoel lined up with his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe squad in an attempt to claim a fourth victory at the one-day race in San Sebastián. Another favourite on the start line was defending champion Giulio Ciccone from Lidl-Trek, and another former winner, Marc Hirschi, racing for Tudor Pro Cycling.
After multiple short-lived attacks, a breakaway of eight emerged within the first 30km that included Tim Rex (Visma-Lease a Bike), Iñigo Elosegui (Equipo Kern Pharma), Ådne Holter (Uno-X Mobility), Valentin Ferron (Cofidis), Lorenzo Quartucci (Burgos Burpellet BH), Nicolás Alustiza (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Nickolas Zukowsky (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling), and Joan Bou (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA).
The eight riders still had a nearly two-minute lead on the reduced peloton with 70km to go, ahead of the last three climbs of the race. Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe continued to lead the peloton for their leader Evenepoel.
As the breakaway approached the final climbs, Rex and Quartucci surged, clearing their rivals with Elosegui struggling to hang on a few seconds behind.
From the main group, four chasers emerged over the Jaizkibel, including Bart Lemmen (Visma-Lease a Bike), Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), Michael Leonard (EF Education-EasyPost) and Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). The quartet caught and passed the remnants of the early breakaway - all but Rex and Quartucci - forming a reshuffling front group of six.
Over the Erlaitz, however, Van Gils was the only rider who remained out front before being joined by Ciccone, Matteo Jorgenson and Louis Barré (Visma-Lease a Bike), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Paul Double (Jayco AlUla), Felix Gall and Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM), Mathys Rondel (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Enric Mas (Movistar) emerged as the new leaders of the race.
Not far behind, Evenepoel joined a chase group that included Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost), Jan Christen, Kevin Vermaerke and Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious), Bjorn Koerdt (Picnic PostNL), Gianmarco Garofoli (Soudal-QuickStep) and Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech).
Despite their efforts, the groups reconnected on the flat sections toward the final smaller circuit and into the decisive Murgil with 10km remaining.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG led the reduced peloton into the lower slopes of the ascent, but Narváez struggled to hang on, with rivals Evenepoel, on the wheel of teammate Van Gils, Carapaz and Gall all in good position.
Evenepoel surged with 8.7km to go, partway up the climb, with Carapaz on his wheel as the two cleared the rest of the selection over the top in what was reminiscent of the battles on the slopes of the major ascents of the Tour de France in July - where Carapaz won two stages, and Evenepoel finished second overall behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
Ciccone and Barré may have struggled to stay with the two riders on the climb, but they attempted to bridge across on the descent and run-in to the finish line, and they were later joined by the rest of the chase group - the sprint between the Evenepoel and Carapaz.
<strong>Results : </strong>
<iframe width="100%" height="730" scrolling="yes" frameborder="0" data-lazy-priority="low" data-lazy-src="https://firstcycling.com/widget/?r=18&y=2026&lang=ENG&cn=1" src="https://firstcycling.com/widget/?r=18&y=2026&lang=ENG&cn=1"></iframe>)
