Welcome to the 2012 San Sebastian Classic. The Jaizkibel is the stand out climb - particularly as it features twice - but it is far enough away from the finish to mean that it won't necesarilly be decisive.
This means the route suits a rider who is strong on the hills, has a good sprint, and even better if they are Spanish. Step forward Alejandro Valverde. He is pretty much the king of this race: 1st in 2008, 1st in 2010, 2nd in 2007, 3rd in 2009. (Did not ride it last year) Winning again this year will continue the pattern of a victory every two years.
He won't have it all his own way though. As the Tour de Luxembourg showed, Francesco Ginanni has remembered how to win again - and races like these are crucial for Vespa's promotion hunt. And then there's Cesare di Maggio - a breakthrough rider this season who recently won the GP of Wales.
If team strength is required to win the race, then look no further than Team Bianchi. Defending champion JJ Cobo, Spanish champion Koldo Gil, top puncheur Dimitri Claeys and the winner of the Tour of Japan and Giro del Capo, David de la Fuente. Frantisek Rabon is a useful rider in races like this aswell!
Also flying the Spanish flag will be Luis Leon Sanchez. The Volta ao Algarve winner who finished narrowly behind Valverde at this year's Vuelta a Mallorca. Other names to watch are Mattias Kessler, Jelle Vanendert, Aleksandr Kolobnev, Anthony Roux, and Criterium Hainleite winner Marcel Wyss. We also see the return to CT action of many of the Jayco Red Bull riders who just finished the Tour de France!
And there were plenty of early attackers.
They eventually formed a 12 man group
Mayo
Antunes
Dall'Antonia
Goesinnen
Holohan
Vital
Hirschlein
Basso
van Keirsbulck
Ortega
Lequatre
Lavery
Their lead grows to 3 minutes, but soon even more are attacking!
The following 4 are all able to ride up to the breakaway.
Sagan
Smukulis
Proni
Calzati
Weening and Txurruka also tried - but the peloton are unhappy and riding hard, so these two failed to make it across.
The first climb of Jaizkibel arrives and the break's lead is barely more than 1 minute.
Koldo Gil is doing a lot of work on the front of the peloton, and sure enough, the break are caught here on the Jaizkibel!
The pace quietens for the rest of the climb, and onto the descent - although van Keirsbulck goes from breakaway to dropped, having crashed on the downhill.
Once the downhill ends, Proni attacks again.
And they let him go. Reaching Jaizkibel again, 24km later (56km still to the finish), Proni leads by 4'43.
Bianchi had taken a back seat on the flat, but once the Jaizkibel returns, so does Gil to the front of the peloton.
A little underwhelmingly, nobody attacks on the Jaizkibel - too far from the finish clearly. The peloton has been cut from 96 to 44 though, and by the time 30km to go is reached, Proni's lead is down to 3 minutes.
And with 28km to go, the race really begins - Claeys attacs, followed by Moreno.
The Bianchi aggression continues when Cobo also attacks. Valverde follows!
Di Maggio, Costa, Ginanni and LL Sanchez also counter - but Valverde gets a gap.
A chasing group of 11 forms, 30 seconds behind Valverde.
Cobo
De la Fuente
Kolobnev
Di Maggio
Sanchez
Ginanni
Moreno
Claeys
Vanendert
Costa
Kirchen
And with 20km to go, Proni is coming back into view - a 1 minute lead on Valverde.
17 riders catch the group of 11, while attacks from Di Maggio and Cobo see Valverde brought back. A group of 29 chasing Proni then - meaning the 30 ranking point scoring riders are now known!
Roux
Claeys
Cobo
De la Fuente
Gil
Rabon
De Greef
Vanendert
Pires
Sanchez
Costa
Richardson
Salerno
Szmyd
De Maar
Valverde
Kirchen
Moreno
Wyss
Kolobnev
Kessler
Bernucci
Grau
Weening
Di Maggio
Sagan
Ginanni
Pineau
Txurruka
12km to go, and Wyss attacks!
It doesnt really work for the Swiss rider, but there is a stronger response from Moreno, Roux, Valverde, Kolobnev, Sanchez, Kessler and Costa.
Interestingly, no Bianchi attackers. Instead Cobo relays to bring this move back.
Proni is caught, as Valverde launches a new move
Sanchez, Cobo, Costa and Kessler try to respond, but its a nice gap for Valverde with 6.5km to go
Sanchez does get across though, and after relaying a little to close the gap, Cobo then attacks himself to move into the lead. 5km to go.
It's all going to come down to a sprint though, and 19 riders remain.
In rough order, its:
Sanchez
Vanendert
De la Fuente
Cobo
Ginanni
Valverde
Di Maggio
Kolobnev
Pineau
Kessler
Roux
Claeys
Costa
Weening
Moreno
Wyss
Kirchen
Proni
Gil
Clearly Sanchez has drawn the short straw in leading out, and although there is an uphill rise, this sprint is a real chance for some of the slightly weaker puncheurs to score a top unexpected result.
Vanendert fancies his chance of a long sprint, but surely he too has gone too early here - while Valverde is in danger of being boxed in
Approaching 1km to go, Di Maggio has made his move and passes Vanendert
Kolobnev is well placed on his wheel with Pineau also going strong - while Ginanni tries to respond.
But Valverde has spotted a gap, and he surges through it. Nobody can respond, although Kessler is producing a strong sprint on the right hand side
Victory for Alejandro Valverde! He wins San Sebastian Classic once again, for the 3rd time.
Di Maggio takes 2nd, while Kessler finishes strongly for 3rd. Its 4th for Claeys and 5th for Moreno.
Kessler, Claeys and Moreno were all in the second half of the group as the sprint began. Perhaps that cost them a change of victory, or was it a better tactical move?
Top 10 finish for Kolobnev, Pineau, Kirchen, Costa and Ginanni. A disappointing sprint for the Italian, but also a disappointing result for Team Bianchi. Clearly the strongest team, but it doesnt show at the end of the day - only managing 4th, 13th, 15th and 16th.
