Bauke Mollema (Trek) bounced back from the disappointment from the Tour de France by claiming an impressive solo win in the Clasica San Sebastian. Tony Gallopin (Lotto Soudal) beat Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) in the sprint for second.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Bauke Mollema: This was a good way to bounce back

Bauke Mollema rebounded from the bitter disappointment one week ago when crashes ruined his podium chances at the Tour de France by soloing to his biggest, and first ever, WorldTour win in Clasica San Sebastian Saturday.

 

"The last days of the Tour de France were really disappointing for me, and this was a good way to fight back," said Mollema. "I recovered well from the Tour, and I am really happy to win, I have always loved this race and have always finished in the top 10. This is the first WorldTour classic I have won and have always wanted to be on the podium of this race and have one of those Basque hats, and now I finally have one."

 

The World Tour Classic, a 220-kilometer run through the Basque hills, all came down to the last, steep climb where four riders emerged at the top of the 1.8-kilometer ascent with gradients exceeding 20 percent: Mollema, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Tony Gallopin (Lotto Soudal) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha).

Mollema, knowing he didn't stand a chance if it came to a sprint, caught the other three by surprise by launching an immediate attack with just over eight kilometers to go.

 

Mollema's advantage hovered around 10 seconds as the kilometers ticked away, and with three kilometers remaining it appeared the trio were about to tag him back. But no one wanted to make the last effort to close the gap, and his advantage grew again. Under the one-kilometer to go banner Mollema had 15 seconds, and in the final meters enough time to sit up and savor his first World Tour victory.

 

"Yesterday in training I did the last climb twice and three times the descent, so I knew what was coming," continued Mollema. "I was a few places behind when Rodriguez went, and it was a narrow climb, so it was difficult to pass the other riders. But I felt quite good and knew that I could close the gap in the last few hundred meters of the climb. On the top, we were four and Rodriguez slowed down a little bit, and I think that was the perfect time to go.

 

"I tried and saw I had a gap and then it was just full gas until the finish. I think with two kilometers more or less I knew I had it. I still felt I had some power in the legs, so I was not going to blow up, and when I looked back, I didn't see the second group. I felt I could keep it until the finish – it was a nice feeling, especially in the last few hundred meters."

 

Gallopin won the sprint for second place ahead of Valverde, while Rodriguez missed the podium and settled for fourth.

 

There was perhaps no better way for Mollema to stamp out the disappointment of the Tour than with a sweet victory in a race he has always held in esteem. Mollema next heads to Brazil for the Rio Olympics, a course that suits the on-form climber.

 

Mollema added:

 

"I did not think about the Tour anymore today - I always like this race and I found the focus again this week and knew it was a good opportunity for me to make a good result. I think I showed I am in good form, this is a great result, and now the Olympics are coming and that is something I am really looking forward to."

 

Tony Gallopin: I can tell you that I am happy with this second place

For Lotto Soudal, Tim Wellens, Jelle Vanendert and Tony Gallopin were attentively at the front of the peloton. In the finale, was Joaquim Rodríguez who attacked. Three other riders joined the Spaniard: Tony Gallopin, Alejandro Valverde and Bauke Mollema. Finally, Mollema managed to obtain a small gap at the summit as he accelerated on the last steep parts of the climb. The three chasers were unable to close the gap so the Dutch rider won the race after a solo of eight kilometres. Gallopin beat Valverde in the sprint and finished second. It’s already the third time that the French rider obtains a great result in this race (Tony won the Clásica San Sebastián in 2013 and one year later he finished fifth). Lotto Soudal eventually finished with three riders in the top-21, a very good performance.

 

Tony Gallopin said:

 

“I’m pleased that my legs felt good after a disappointing Tour de France. The second place isn’t the most beautiful place on the podium, but I can tell that I’m very happy with today’s performance. I had a difficult period just after the Tour because it didn’t go as I hoped it would be. But one week later, I’m able to compete against the best riders and that gives a great feeling. I was able to follow riders such as Rodríguez and Valverde on the last steep climb. I had really good legs today, I rode an excellent race but unfortunately my efforts didn’t pay off.

 

“The new ascent in the finale was short but several parts were very steep. It was important to be at the front of the peloton as we entered the climb. That worked out well with Jelle Vanendert and Tim Wellens by my side. I was able to follow the strongest riders on that climb and that really gave a boost.

 

”Mollema chose the right moment to attack. Rodríguez and Valverde are two great riders but the cooperation wasn’t as it should have been. It was possible to reel in Mollema as we were about five seconds behind him at a certain moment. But it is what it is. First, I will enjoy a short rest period and then I’ll participate in Hamburg on August 21.”

 

Alejandro Valverde: This makes me confident for Rio

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) continues to earn well-deserved respect and praise from the Basque fans thanks to his all-year consistency, especially when he comes into the WorldTour’s only one-day event in Spain. The double victor of the Clásica de San Sebastián claimed on Saturday his sixth podium finish in the race, behind solo winner Bauke Mollema (TFS) and faster finisher Tony Gallopin (LTS) at the finish on the Boulevard. The 220km race in Gipuzkoa featured hot temperatures and humid condition which added stress and turned the race into an even more similar test for those riders who will line up in South America on August 6 following the Tour de France.

 

The riders directed by José Luis Arrieta fulfilled their roles in support of Valverde: Erviti and a great Rory Sutherland controlled the day’s early breakaways from the bang; Gorka Izagirre paid attention to a dangerous, ten-man counterattack following the first of two climbs of Jaizkibel; and the likes of Castroviejo, Visconti, Rojas and  Ion Izagirre (19th) covered the Spaniard’s shoulders en route to the decisive Murgil Bidea. With 9km to go, the attack by Rodríguez (KAT) was only followed by the three podium finishers, as Mollema’s move just after the summit granted him an intelligent success.

 

Valverde will head to South America on Sunday with excellent form, now sitting in the fifth spot of the WorldTour rankings, as Movistar leads the team classification with already 106 points of advantage over Tinkoff. In turn, the Murcia-based rider’s team-mates will keep pushing on their way to the Vuelta a España.

 

Alejandro Valverde said:

 

“I’m happy with yet another podium. Mollema was really good in that finale; he went ahead before the downhill, and even though we started to cooperate behind, we didn’t got on with each other as we should. Plus, at the sprint, I was full of cramps - when I tried to launch the final acceleration, my legs were hurting too much to continue, and I could only keep Gallopin’s wheel for third. It happened the same to ‘Purito’ - it was a hot race and a very humid one, which happens to be a quite similar scenario to what we’ll find in Brazil. Finishing third here with the top guys keeps my hopes high for Rio. It’s a good route for us on the 6th; we will try to continue in this way and hopefully chase a medal for our country.”

 

Joaquim Rodriguez close to victory in final ever race in Spain

The famous one-day Spanish classic took place on Saturday with Team Katusha’s Joaquim Rodriguez eager to show something in his last time racing this prestigious Spanish race. Leading the peloton over the Murgil Bidea with ramps up to 25%, ‘Purito’ was the first at the top before the 8 km plunge back into San Sebastián, but an attack on the descent from Bauke Mollema gave the Trek-Segafredo rider a solo win and Rodriguez finished fourth just off the podium. For his efforts in animating the race, ‘Purito’ earned the combativity award.

 

“I enjoyed my last race in Spain. That last climb was really my terrain. I saw I had a gap and I tried. I had to. Earlier I saw Adam Yates attacking and I knew he was trying to repeat his move of last year. That’s why I followed him and later dropped him. Unfortunately, at the top Mollema, Valverde and Gallopin joined me and when Mollema went away, Valverde and Gallopin really did nothing. Were they so afraid of me? In theory they are faster than me in the sprint. In the end they also missed the victory but it is like this. I was dead at that moment after my attack,” explained team leader Joaquim Rodriguez.

 

Mollema’s win at 5:31.00 (39,915 km/h) for the 220,2 km course was 5-seconds ahead of Tony Gallopin (Lotto Soudal) and Alejandro Valverde of Movistar. Rodriguez was fourth at 22-seconds, crossing the line with a wave to his many fans.

 

“We are happy for the result of ‘Purito’ today as the last race he will do with Team Katusha. Our tactic today was to race for our leaders Joaquim and Ilnur. On the last climb we attacked with Joaquim, because he was strong, but Mollema attacked on the false flat of the climb and Joaquim arrived with Gallopin and Valverde at the finish. There was really no cooperation among the riders, but these are Joaquim’s last races, so we are happy with his efforts. The team was very good today. They followed the tactics we laid out in the bus this morning and we worked all day for control of the race at the last climb. In the end it was impossible to win, but we’re still happy,” said team director Xavier Florencio.

Early breaks went clear on the early climbs before seeing the race all together with 40 km to go. Katusha worked alongside Orica-BikeExchange and were able to reach the last climb in the front. On the narrow roads Rodriguez made his move, charging up the super steep sections to crest the climb in first place. But Mollema made his winning move soon after and none of the chasers could bring him back.

 

“The climb was super with the fans cheering for me. This is most likely my last race ever in Spain. This was a nice goodbye. I really enjoyed it, doing this climb even while suffering. I’m sorry I missed the top 3, but in the end there were three riders faster,” said a satisfied Joaquim Rodriguez.

 

‘Purito’ has announced his retirement, but will first head to the Olympics in Rio to represent Spain in the road race, a course reportedly similar to the one today.

 

Greg Van Avermaet: I couldn’t have done any better

Greg Van Avermaet sprinted to the line to claim in fifth place after a hard-fought battle at the Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian, which saw Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) take the win. The first 170km of racing saw a 6-rider breakaway form and gain a six-minute advantage before multiple chase groups, including one with Alessandro De Marchi, bring them back 50km before the finish line.

 

It was the final climb of Murgil Tontorra that proved decisive with Mollema breaking away with Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Team Katusha). Van Avermaet chased behind but was unable to bridge the gap before the summit and run into the finish.

 

Van Avermaet battled for fifth place in a five-rider sprint to the line, which marks his third top ten finish at the Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian.

 

Greg Van Avermaet said:

 

“It was a hard edition that’s for sure. There were quite a few attacks to bring back the breakaway and we had Alessandro De Marchi in there, and then it was all for the last climb. Alessandro and Ben Hermans put me in a good position and then it was all up to me to do a good result on the last part of the final climb. I just tried to do my own tempo on the climb and I had to let these real climbers, like Valverde and Mollema, go. But I did a good tempo and I came to the top in a good position, and then I sprinted from our group to fifth position. I couldn’t have done any better today so I’m pretty happy with this result.

 

“You always wait to see how the legs will react after the Tour de France and I’ve had a pretty busy week because I did some criteriums. I still feel good and it gives me confidence ahead of Rio. It’s a difficult parcours in Rio but I have a good chance. I have to be a little bit lucky with the race situation but maybe I can go for it.”

 

Yvon Ledanois, Sports Director, added:

 

“The team did a very good job today. In the last 25km we tried to protect Richie Porte, Greg Van Avermaet and Philippe Gilbert who were the three riders who had the best shot at winning. The last climb was the most important moment to win the race. If you have the legs, then it’s definitely the moment to go as we saw with Mollema. Greg was pretty close to Mollema’s group at the top of the climb but couldn’t quite bridge, and from there it was the front four riders going for the win.

 

“If you look at Greg’s sprint for 5th place you can see that he had the legs to win the race. Greg did the job very well and I’m happy with his race today. We came here to win with a strong team and we walk away with a top five result, but when you look at the difficulty of the race, I’m definitely not disappointed.”

 

Gianluca Brambilla returns with a bang in San Sebastian

With the peloton seriously stretched out at that point, Simon Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) attacked and got a small gap, before being caught by Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha). The Spaniard surged clear, but 500 meters from the top was joined by Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal), Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) and Alejandro Valverde Movistar) and the quartet crested the summit with a 10-second advantage over a chasing group which included Gianluca Brambilla, who was racing for the first time after coming runner-up at the National Championships, in Boario Terme, one month ago.

 

Just before the descent started, Mollema accelerated and took off, soloing to the finish in San Sebastian, with a comfortable lead over Gallopin and Valverde, who rounded out the podium of the 36th edition. The second chasing group rolled over the line half a minute behind and Gianluca Brambilla battled for a place in the top 10, his strong sprint helping him finish 6th, a result which is made even more impressive by the fact this was the 28-year-old Italian's debut in the prestigious Spanish event.

 

"I was a bit nervous at the start of the race, because I didn't know what my condition was after more than a month without racing. Fortunately, any doubt went away right after the start, as I felt my legs were strong. Before the last climb I tried to be in a good position, but it was hard to keep the pace with the riders coming off the Tour de France, who had a different speed. Considering I didn't race for more than a month, I am satisfied with my result and I am looking forward to the next events I'll do in August", said Brambilla, who has two wins and 11 top-10 placings in 2016, his best year since turning pro.

 

Besides Brambilla, also Dan Martin notched up a good result, concluding Clasica San Sebastian in 12th place. Following Saturday's World Tour appointment, Etixx – Quick-Step – the team with the most victories this season, 39 – has solidified its top 5 place in the World Tour standings. Next appointment of the outfit will be RideLondon Classic (July 31), followed by Vuelta a Burgos (August 2-6).

 

Simon Yates continues impressive comeback with top 10 in San Sebastian

Simon Yates finished in seventh place for Orica-BikeExchange at the challenging Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian today as the attacks flew on the final climb.

 

Clasica de Ordizia winner Yates was part of the elite selection made on the final climb before the finish that saw Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) jump clear of the group and hold on for a solo victory.

 

23-year old Yates rode a controlled race before excellent work by OBE teammate Luke Durbridge led the peloton into the tough finale with Yates following the attacks and sprinting to seventh place.

 

Sport director Neil Stephens praised the work of the team on what was a long and difficult day.

 

“As always it was a tough race today,” said Stephens. “The whole team did a great job throughout, from start to finish we were up there and maintained our good positions right until the end.

 

”Simon (Yates) did very, very well on the last climb, it was a strong selection and considering Simon has not had much racing lately he fought hard and finished strongly.

 

“It’s not easy competing in a race like this when you are missing that extra punch that you dont' get from training. A lot of our guys and most of the field were coming from the Tour de France and despite the tiredness we looked good.

 

”I am satisfied with how we went, Michael Albasini was in the mix until the final climb steepened and Simon is just missing a little more racing, but it looks really positive for the races that we have coming up.”

 

Nicolas Roche back in the WorldTour top 10 in San Sebastian

Nicolas Roche battled hard on the final climb at San Sebastian to set himself up for a top-10 finish in the Basque Country.

 

Attacks started to fire midway up the brutal final ascent and Roche stayed strong, keeping towards the front of the slimmed down peloton, but he wasn't able to follow eventual winner Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), who crested the ascent alone and then stayed away to the line.

 

Roche finished ninth, 34 seconds back on Mollema, as part of the third chase group on the road, behind Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), and Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal), who were unable to reel Mollema in.

 

The race was uncharacteristically serene in northern Spain, with a large peloton heading into the final climb after 200 kilometres, and Team Sky were well represented, with Mikel Landa, Mikel Nieve, Pete Kennaugh and Roche all in the mix.

 

Orica-BikeExchange set a ferocious tempo in an attempt to set reigning champion Yates up for the win, before Rodriguez jumped off the front and forged a small gap. Yates fought back, before Mollema made the decisive move inside the last kilometre of Murgil Bidea.

 

Earlier in the race Landa had bridged across to what remained of the day's six-man breakaway but the move never looked serious, and the race came back together with 60km to go.

 

Astana: We were there until the final climbn

"We were in the heat of the race until the final climb,” commented Astana sport director Giuseppe Martinelli. “And we missed very little to be part of the decisive action.

 

"Dario Cataldo, Paolo Tiralongo and Luis Leon Sanchez surrendered only on the steepest section of the new Murgil Tontorra climb close to the finish".

 

Alberto Contador: I have to be realistic at this point

The one-day Clasica San Sebastian always proves a tough test for the legs, and by the end of another hard race, 2009 winner Roman Kreuziger was first home for Tinkoff in 22nd place, slipping back on the final climb where the race was decided. Returning from injury after his crashes at the Tour de France, Alberto Contador finished safely inside the top 40, starting his build back to form ahead of the Vuelta a España next month.

 

Contador commented after the race: "I feel happy and satisfied with my form today. I, obviously, have to be realistic and aware that I come from a crash at the Tour and that my goal is the Vuelta. I have to be in optimal form for the Vuelta and as a result here and at Burgos I have to sacrifice my result."

 

A six rider break dominated the front of the race for much of the day, but behind it was not easy going in the bunch with riders losing contact over each of the ascents. The Tinkoff riders were focused on the goal of protecting Contador and Kreuziger, and getting them to the bottom of the final climb in a good position to be able to test themselves when the attacks came.

 

The team accomplished this in a good way with both riders still in contention as the road kicked upwards, but when the first attacks came with nine kilometres to go, what was a large group at the bottom was splintered. The gradients ramped up to over 20% in sections, and for Contador it was one climb to far. Kreuziger held strong for longer, but was too far from the front over the top to reach the front groups, eventually coming over the line 50” down on the solo race winner.

 

After the race, Sport Director Patxi Vila gave a bit more background to how the team fared.

 

“It was a good performance from Roman and Alberto today, as they were both there at the bottom of the final climb which was the first goal. Alberto was a bit better than expected after his crashes and time off the bike, so this was good to see.

 

“The final climb proved too much though and it isn’t a climb that suits either of their climbing capabilities that well so it was tough. The rest of the team did a good job in support and rode as we expected today.”

 

Dimension Data: We knew it would be difficult for us

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka started the Basque World Tour classic off with positive intent as Jacques Janse van Rensburg joined 5 other riders in the early break of the day. Janse van Rensburg and co. were able to ride away from the peloton, building their lead up to a maximum advantage of 6 minutes.

 

It was a difficult course with a lot of climbing, the type of terrain suited to Janse van Rensburg. While 2 riders dropped from the break with 65km to go, the South African pushed on in the lead group as the peloton also began to shed riders. With Orica-BikeExchange, Movistar and Katusha all assisting with the chase, the breakaway was caught with 45km left to race.

 

The peloton, which was down to around 60 riders heading into the final 2 climbs of the stage, contained 5 riders from the African Team. Janse van Rensburg was still hanging tough while Serge Pauwels, Igor Anton, Merhawi Kudus and Kanstantsin Siutsou were all part of the select peloton too.

 

As the penultimate climb began, Pauwels found himself in a front split of around 8 riders as they tried to go clear. Unfortunately that move was neutralised before the end of the climb. On the run in toward the final climb Anton attacked, only to be shut down almost immediately. The race would come down to the final climb which peaked with 8km left to race.

 

Orica-BikeExchange drove the pace into the final 2km climb on a tight, twisty forested road and positioning before the climb was crucial, this is where the African Team riders were caught out somewhat. Gallopin,

 

Sports director Jens Zemke said:

 

“The Clasica Donostia had the “who is who” on the start list today so it was not easy for us to achieve a top result. We were able to have Jacques Janse van Rensburg representing us in the breakaway but the bunch did not give them much space. Jacques rode a fantastic race and he was even giving Moreno Moser a run for his money in the GPM sprints. In the final hour of the race, Jacques was joined by Serge, Igor, Kosta and Merhawi. Igor tried a solo attack with 20km to go but he was caught immediately. The final climb was super steep and the bunch shattered into pieces here. Serge ended up being our best placed rider in 27th and 1 minute behind Bauke Mollema. This race will be one we will put in the memory bank for its huge crowds and electric atmosphere, and we were happy to be part of the action. We send our fair compliments to Mollema from Trek on his win.”

 

George Bennett takes over from Steven Kruijswijk in San Sebastian

George Bennett finished 15th in the Clasica San Sebastian today in Spain. Steven Kruijswijk began as leader of Team LottoNL-Jumbo, but when he noticed that he didn’t have the power to perform in the final part of the race, the New Zealander had the freedom to go for his chances. Bauke Mollema (Trek - Segafredo) soloed over the final eight kilometres to win.

 

 “It was a predictable race,” Sports Director Addy Engels said. “With such a tough climb in the final part of it, you know it’s going to happen at that point. We went for Steven Kruijswijk’s chances. The men brought him to that point quite well. Especially Wilco Kelderman covered him until the end. At that point, Steven Kruijswijk seemed to be strong, but missed the overdrive you need in the final part of a classic race. George Bennett had the freedom to try to stay with the leaders and finished in the group that sprinted for the 11th spot. That’s a good performance of him.”

 

Bennett didn’t see that result coming.

 

“It was quite a strange day,” he added. “I felt bad in the beginning, but it didn’t worsen. We raced well with the team, but had to change plans already early in the final part of the race. This 15th place isn’t a great result, but I’m happy with it.”

 

Caja Rural talent shows himself in San Sebastian

In the Spanish one-day World Tour race, Jaime Rosón was part of the morning breakaway. The group kept the peloton at bay for the majority of the day until the attacks began in the pack. On the final steep climb, a small group of favorites got away. Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) took the win, while Ángel Madrazo celebrated his 28th birthday by finishing as best Caja Rural - Seguros RGA rider in 32nd place.
 
Jaime Rosón said:

 

“This was my first breakaway of the year and it took place in one of the best races on the calendar. The fans were cheering for me and it gave me goosebumps every time they said my name alongside the road. I came to this race after a long time without competing and a recent altitude training camp in my legs. However, I felt good today and I think we are on the right track to do great things”.

 

Sick Warren Barguil off the pace in San Sebastian

As expected, the race came down to a battle on the slopes of the final climb, with a fast 7km run down to the finish from the top. For Gian-Alpecin, Sam Oomen made the select front group over the day’s testing climbs together with Warren Barguil, returning to racing after the Tour de France, but when the attacks came in the final 10km, neither could respond and had to settle with setting their own pace and limiting the loses to the top.

 

After the finish, Warren Barguil explained a bit more about his performance today. “This morning I had a bit of pain in my throat, and then during the day it got worse and I not able to follow the best riders in final. So it’s not the result I was hoping for.”

 

Coach Arthur van Dongen added: “Today we were unable to play a role in the finale, with only Sam on a good level on the climb. Warren wasn’t feeling 100% and I hope that he will be soon recovered for Rio.”

 

Diego Ulissi off the pace in San Sebastian

Clasica San Sebastian is once again out of reach for Lampre-Merida which has never won the Basque race. The blue-fuchsia-green team obtained 43rd and 44th place with Ulissi and Petilli.

 

However, the performance of the team of sports director Marzano was quite good during the race: a few kilometers after the start there were already blue-fuchsia-green colors leading the race, thanks to Niemiec) who joined the breakaway of 6 members.

 

The group was caught be a counterattack that included Ilia Koshevoy.

 

Soon, the peloton reached the head of the race and Lampre-Merida did not succeed in being protagonist in the final part of the course.

 

"In the first part of the course, we succeeded in realizing what we had planned in the race program,” sports director Marzano commented. “Niemiec was in the main breakaway, Koshevoy pedaled with the counter attackers, however in the final part of the race we missed out of the front of the group. Ulissi had no good feelings, Bono and Mario Costa gave their good contribution. For Petilli, this was an interesting debut. We cannot be satisfied with the result in this race, except for some personal highlights.”