Clásica de San Sebastián
Cycling road race held in San Sebastián, Spain / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa — Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián (San Sebastián Classic) is a one-day professional men's bicycle road race in northern Spain that has been held every summer since 1981 in San Sebastián. It is the most important one-day race in Spain, is considered a one-day race of great prestige, just behind the 'Monuments', and contributes points towards the UCI World Ranking.
Race details | |
---|---|
Date | Late July or early August |
Region | Basque Country, Spain |
English name | Classic of San Sebastián |
Local name(s) | Clásica de San Sebastián (in Spanish) Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa (in Basque) |
Nickname(s) | Ronda Donostiarra |
Discipline | Road |
Competition | UCI World Tour |
Type | One-day |
Organiser | Organizaciones Ciclistas Euskadi |
Race director | José Luis Arrieta |
Web site | www |
History | |
First edition | 1981 |
Editions | 42 (as of 2023) |
First winner | Marino Lejarreta (ESP) |
Most wins | Marino Lejarreta (ESP) (3 wins) Remco Evenepoel (BEL) |
Most recent | Remco Evenepoel (BEL) |
Clásica de San Sebastián is known for its winding, undulating terrain which favours aggressive riding, favouring climbers. It includes the tough Alto de Jaizkibel climb, usually the decisive point of the race.[1] It is one of the three summer classics that form part of the UCI World Tour calendar, along with the Laurentian Classics.
Usually the protagonists of the Clásica de San Sebastián are those who, until a few days before the race have been competing on the roads of the Tour de France, given the proximity of dates of the two competitions. There are many Klasikoa winners who also have a Grand Tour in their palmares.
It has always started and finished in San Sebastián, although the initial and intermediate stretches have varied throughout its history, so its total mileage has not been the same, although it has almost always been around 230 km.[2] The race traditionally finishes at the Boulevard de San Sebastián a major street in the centre of the city.
It is organized by Organizaciones Ciclistas Euskadi, after the merger of the Euskal Bizikleta with the Tour of the Basque Country in 2009.