Welcome in the Basque country for a long and difficult day of racing in the surroundings of San Sebastian. It’s raining in Spain! Let’s see how that play, but first, the profile and the favorite’s list!
The attacks are starting right at the beginning. Barbari, Putti and Zumer are the first to go, but we can be sure that they won’t be the lasts. You can already see Vahtra going in the back.
The attacks are continuing, but the favorite’s teams already are at the head of the peloton: Tratnik, Cheung, Salazar, Menten, Buitrago, Sweeny and Di Maggio.
20 km done, and the pace is still very high! The first three attackers still have a 12 seconds lead on a group of 10: Main, Leemreize, Lampawog, Voisard, Orlov, De La Cruz Chapulin, Venturini, Dekker, Rojas and Vahtra.
The peloton is only 40 seconds behind these guys, none of them seeming to be dangerous for the top puncheurs.
Meanwhile, Rucigaj punctured and is some 2 minutes behind the pack.
177 km to ride, the 13 leaders are together, with 1’43 on the peloton. Cabanas, Gillett, Kulikovskiy and Dewulf try to join them.
Cheung and Tratnik don’t let them go, and Rucigaj can come back safely inside the pack. We arrive at the first real climb of the day, the Azkarate (4,7 km, 7,4%)/ All the leaders are close to the front.
They pass it without any problem though, and it’s the same story at the foot of the next hill (7,3 km, 7,9%). 136 km to go, and the peloton is stretched.
The next to come is the passage in Alkiza (4 km, 6,2 %). It’s easier, and both groups still are complete.
After that, the road gets a bit easier, if one could say that, before the last decisive third.
100 km to go, the gap is down to 2’30. The peloton rides faster now, with the same guys as before at the front.
20 km later, we see the first splits in the peloton, on a flattish section. Only some domestiques are caught, with Polar, Red Bull, Amaysim and Gjensidige losing the most men.
And we are back for the hardest parts of the race! It begins with the Jaizkibel, from where you can see France, San Sebastian and the ocean. It’s 7,5 km long at 5,8%. It’s only a warm-up, with the peloton 1’16 behind.
The domestiques who rode all day are falling back in the hardest part of the climb. Problem is, they have their leaders right behind them! Only Cheung and Tratnik, recently joined by Roman, can contribute to the chase.
At the top, Barbari is dropped from the break.
And we already are at the penultimate climb of the day, Erlaitz in Irun (7,2 km, 6,8%, max at 13,5%). The 128 men peloton is closing in, so Venturini attacks.
36 km left. In slopes of 10%, Orlov earbs some more time at the front. In the peloton, Higuita, Sagan and Lutsenko already seem quite alone. Carthy and Kelderman are some meters behind.
The Popo4Ever rider is brought back y a Cedevita led peloton, with Ardila, Gaudu and Beltran. The Columbian rider seems to have good legs today!
Eiking doesn’t want to wait for them to make the race too hard though, he attacks with 35 km to go!
Malecki, Ardila and Karnulin don’t let him too much space, but the attack splits the peloton in two. Gebrezgabihier and Raileanu are dropped. Still 63 men in the leading group though!
In the flat section ahead of the wall of Murgil-Tontorra, Gazelles takes matters in hand with Konrad, Karnulin and Bernard. They don’t want anyone to join this group. As we approach the foot of the last climb, they’re joined by Moser and Cedevita.
There we hare! 2 km of steep climbing (9,2%, max at 18), and then 5 km downhill to the streets of San Sebastian.
Konrad and Andila set up the pace in the first slopes, though Lutsenko seems boxed in the middle of the pack. Sagan, Beltran and Kinoshita are the closest to the front.
And as we’re approaching the top of the wall, finally there is an attack! It comes from Eiking once again!
Lutsenko is chasing himself, but he’s with Ardila and Ponzi who have their leaders further behind. At the back, Izagirre has been trapped in a 3rd group with Van Garderen.
3,6 km to ride for Eiking. The Norwegian isn’t the best descender.
And indeed, he’s brought back with 2 km to go. We’ll have a 27 men sprint!
1,5 km to go. Ponzi is leading out Sagan, same for Ardila and Beltran. Lutsenko and Gidich are not far behind. Buchmann and Bobridge are in a good position too. Rucigaj is here for EA, which is nice to see, after his puncture at the beginning of the race.
Beltran and Sagan launch the sprint under the flamme rouge.
600 m. Ponzi has a small lead on Eiking and Sagan.
300 m. Higuita, Buchman and Lutsenko are the fastest, but they have to find space.
100 m. Lutsenko did find space, but will he have time to win the sprint?
No! It’s a surprise back to back victory for Ponzi!
We said before the race that Moser had the best team, and indeed Sagan takes 2nd, ahead of Lutsenko, and another surprise, Quita. Eiking tried to dynamite the race, he’s 5th.
Beltran is 6th, ahead of Malecki and Buchman.
Andila makes it a 2nd top 10 for Cedevita, a top 10 closed by Bobridge.
Then we have Higuita, Gaudu, Gidish, a disappointing Kinoshita and Valter to close the top 15.
Well, it was not the most entertaining edition of the Classica San Sebastian, except maybe for the spectators on the finish line! See you next time, for maybe other surprises!
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