Profile Clasica San Sebastian 2022

On the 30th of July the World Tour peloton will get back on the road, leaving behind the Tour de France and going into Spain with a big variety of classics and stage-races. One will be the Clasica San Sebastian which will see the climbers and puncheurs come to the front in a battle for serious points.

The route will total a long 223 kilometers on the road, without too much flat terrain as the mountains of the region will see the riders constantly go up and down throughout the day, totaling at just over 4000 meters of climbing throughout the day.

The race sees a lot of climbs early on, although it never goes into the high mountains, instead going through some hilly roads. The race is to be decided in the final hour of racing however, with three decisive climbs.

The first is the Jaizkibel, just on the outskirts of San Sebastián and a climb that is traditional in the race. It’s 7.4 kilometers long at 5.8% and summits with 63 kilometers to go, with a rather technical descent afterwards.

A crucial ascent will be to Erlaitz, right afterwards. After it’s summit, with 43Km to go, there is a plateau section which can easily be a launchpad for crucial attacks as the peloton will be thinned out and many will be looking to save their legs for the final ascent. However on the slopes of the climb, which averages over 10% for 4 kilometers, differences can be made, attacks can be dealt and serious damage can be created for the race’s outcome.

Over the last few years the crucial point has become the Alto de Murgil. Not decisive in the last two editions, however no matter what happens this will be a critical moment, as the riders look to save their legs for the final 900 meters of the climb where the gradients are vicious, up to 18%. A pure anaerobic effort which finishes with only 8 kilometers to go.

A short descent and a fast run-in back to the city center leaves the riders close to the finish, where either a small sprint fight or a solo winner will be crowned in San Sebastián.