Unapproachable Remco Evenepoel wins after solo of 45 kilometers Clásica San Sebastián
Saturday 30 July 2022 at 17:15
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Remco Evenepoel has crowned himself the winner of the Clásica San Sebastián 2022. The Belgian of Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl attacked on the penultimate climb, soon got rid of all his opponents and started a solo of almost 45 kilometers. In the end he arrived with almost three minutes lead in finish place San Sebastián.
Wout van Aert gave up for the Clásica San Sebastián due to a cold, but with Simon Yates, Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar there were plenty of great riders at the start. They left San Sebastián this morning for a race of almost 225 kilometers. The opening phase was relatively flat, but after that the drivers were faced with the necessary climbs. At kilometer 154 before the final would really start with the Jaizkibel (7.9 km at 5.6%). This was followed by the terribly steep Erlaitz (3.8 at 10.6%) and – after a short intermediate stage – the Murgil-Tontorra (2.1 km at 10.1%). After the top of that last slope it was still eight kilometers to the finish.
Leading group with Tusveld
On the first climb of the day, the Azkarate (4.2 km at 7.3%), the break of the day had already been established. Ibai Azurmendi (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Jon Barrenetxea (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA), Manuele Boaro (Astana Qazaqstan), Óscar Cabedo (Burgos-BH), Théo Delacroix (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert), Fabien Grellier (TotalEnergies), EugenioEnergies Sánchez (Equipo Kern Pharma), Martijn Tusveld and Casper Pedersen (Team DSM) had received the blessing of the peloton. The nine rode a lead of about two and a half minutes.
The leading group with Tusveld – photo: Cor Vos
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At the foot of the Jaizkibel there was only a minute left. And on this iconic climb, that lead only narrowed. Even before the top, all the escapees were caught. This was mainly due to the men of UAE Emirates and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, who set the pace for Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel respectively. There were already casualties from behind at that time. Juan Ayuso – one of the outsiders – was one of the first to pass.
Pogacar breaks on Jaizkibel
Just before the still quite large platoon had reached the top of the Jaizkibel, another big name went off. And again it was a rider from UAE Emirates, the leader himself this time. Pogacar had to let the rest go. A week after a tough Tour de France, the Slovenian clearly no longer had the best legs. His compatriot Matej Mohoric thought that was no reason to wait and put pressure on the rest in the descent. The Slovenian couldn’t get away, but there was fragmentation in the peloton. Tom Dumoulin and Michael Matthews came down behind, João Almeida crashed into the asphalt. However, the Portuguese escaped unscathed and was able to rejoin the Erlaitz again.
Jonathan Caicedo (EF Education-EasyPost) first went through the Erlaitz, but Remco Evenepoel soon took over. While in the background men like Jai Hindley and Alejandro Valverde went off, only Simon Yates could follow the Belgian at the front. At least 1.8 kilometers before the top, because at that moment Yates dropped out. Evenepoel continued alone with almost 45 kilometers to go. Behind him a group formed with Carlos Rodríguez, Tiesj Benoot, Pavel Sivakov, Bauke Mollema and after a while also the relapsed Yates.
Yates stayed with Evenepoel longest – photo: Cor Vos
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Evenepoel solo
The first pursuers – Rodríquez and Sivakov had broken free from their fellow refugees – were more than a minute behind Evenepoel after the descent of the Erlaitz. In the flat intermediate stage towards the Murgil-Tontorra, the INEOS duo initially got a little closer, but at the start of the climb Evenepoel had over a minute again. On the steep slope itself, he expanded that gap considerably. At the top, he was more than two minutes ahead of Sivakov, who had left his teammate Rodríguez behind.
Benoot had also gone on and over Rodríquez – out of the picture – Mollema was only affiliated with the Spanish champion. While Benoot would drive to third place, Mollema beat Rodríguez in a sprint for fourth place. In the meantime, Evenepoel had already been inside for a long time. The Belgian won the Clásica San Sebastián for the second time in his career with a big difference.
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