- 25 teams are set to start the 45th Clásica San Sebastián
- Remco Evenpoel will try to win his fourth Clásica San Sebastián and overtake Marino Lejarreta’s record
- A world-class line-up
The official presentation of the Clásica San Sebastián 2026 took place today at San Sebastian City Hall. Among the attendees were Jon Insausti, Mayor of San Sebastian; Iñaki Gabarain, Councillor for Sports at San Sebastian City Council, Goizane Álvarez, Provincial Deputy for Culture, Cooperation, Youth and Sports at the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, Gorka Iturriaga, Director of Physical Activity and Sport, Izaskun Vázquez, Head of Services and Senior Occupational Risk Prevention Specialist at FCC, and Javier Riaño, President of OCETA.
The official route for the 45th edition of the race were outlined during the event, along with the main changes to the route compared with the previous year. The president of OCETA, Javier Riaño, stressed the importance of the event in the international calendar. “This will be the 45th Clásica San Sebastián, which is now a well-established fixture on the WorldTour calendar and recognised as one of the great classics of international cycling.” He went on to point out that, “The race will once again wind its way across Gipuzkoa, with the riders taking on seven mountain climbs before crossing the traditional finish line on the Boulevard in San Sebastian”.
The mayor of San Sebastian, Jon Insausti, emphasised the point that “La Clásica has become one of the unmissable events, not only in the cycling season, but also in San Sebastian’s calendar of events. It is now part of our tradition and our identity. What’s more, we enjoy it as a community, sharing a passion that is passed down from generation to generation. We are known for having a visually attractive race in terms of the route and the scenery, but also for the spectacle of the fans lining the roadside, always showing respect and being very generous in their support.”
Iñaki Gabarain, Councillor for Sports at San Sebastian City Council, stated that, “the Clásica de San Sebastián is one of our city’s major sporting events and a testament to the prestige that San Sebastian has earned as a host of major events. We are a very sport-oriented city, and this is reflected both in the public’s involvement and our ability and expertise when it comes to organising guaranteed world-class competitions. Every year, La Clásica brings together the world’s cycling elite and thousands of fans, creating a fantastic atmosphere on our streets and showcasing our city as one that sees sport as a key part of its identity, community spirit and international profile”.
“The Clásica San Sebastián reflects Gipuzkoa’s close relationship with cycling. Every summer, our roads are full of fans, who come out to cheer on the world’s best cyclists. This is all made possible thanks to the work of the organisers, the institutions, the teams, the security and emergency services, and the volunteers,” explained Goizane Álvarez, the Councillor for Culture and Sport.
Gorka Iturriaga, Director of Physical Activity and Sport for the Basque Government: “Along with the Itzulia, the Donostiako Klasikoa is the showcase for the highest level of UCI cycling held annually in the Basque Country. After the spectacular images of the Tour de France, we will once again have the best stars who serve as role models for future Basque cycling talents. Our region is the cradle of cycling, and these races should help strengthen the role of organizers, clubs, federations, and institutions in this shared commitment to making Euskadi Basque Country, Euskadi BIKE Country.”
Once again, the company sponsoring the intermediate sprints, UTE EASO GARBIA (a joint venture between FCC Medio Ambiente and Serbitzu Elkartea), has expressed its delight at being able to take part in the Clásica.
“Whether in person or through the media, we can appreciate the diversity of our magnificent region, which we look after with particular devotion in our daily work cleaning our streets, beaches and ports, and collecting and sorting our urban waste.” On behalf of UTE EASO GARBIA, we sincerely hope it will be an unforgettable day filled with excitement for everyone.
Ibon Barbería, Communications Director of Transportes Echemar, said in his speech that, “As far as Echemar is concerned, we are proud to be taking part, for the third year running, in the Donostia San Sebastián Klasikoa. It is an internationally recognised event and, for us, it is an honour to continue to provide our logistics expertise to ensure that an event of this scale runs as smoothly as possible”.
“For the third year running, this reaffirms our commitment to the organisers and the region. We would like to express our gratitude for the trust you have placed in us by entrusting us with such an important part of the event as the logistics, a task that often goes unnoticed but is essential to the success of the event”.
“At ECHEMAR, we will keep working to provide a service of the highest quality, by adding even more efficient, sustainable solutions and helping to ensure that the Donostia San Sebastián Klasikoa continues to be a world-class cycling event. We wish all the teams and riders the best of luck and hope that the fans enjoy a great day of cycling”.
Joseba Urkiola closed the presentation ceremony by explaining how to follow the race: “For us, the Clásica de San Sebastián is one of the most important events of the year. It represents custom, tradition and significance. It is impossible to imagine summer at EITB without the Clásica de San Sebastián. And it’s the last dance of the season. It all begins in spring, and is a great way to round things off. We will be broadcasting it live from 2.30 pm until the end on the various EITB channels. I t will be on all the radio stations, online and, of course, on TV. We will use state-of-the-art technology to showcase top-level cycling. At the Tour de France, we saw the reality of graphic design resources, along with all of the technologies and requirements involved. To open up our race to the world, let’s start by showcasing the best we have to offer. What’s more, the Women’s Tour de France gets underway on August 1, and we know there are lots of people looking forward to watching our broadcast. Therefore, it is very important.”
The provisional list of riders who have signed up includes top cyclists such as the most recent winner of La Clásica, Giulio Ciccone (Lidl – Trek), Remco Evenepoel, Primož Roglič and Maxim Van Gils of Red Bull – Bora-Hansgrohe, as well as Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step), Julian Alaphilippe and Marc Hirschi (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), Igor Arrieta and Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates), Ben Healy (EF Education – EasyPost), Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM Team), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Ion Izagirre and Alex Aranburu (Cofidis), Enric Mas, Cian Uijtdebroeks and Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team), and Oscar Onley and Thymen Arensman (Netcompany INEOS), to name but a few.
A celebration of cycling
The organisers of the Clásica hope that on Friday, July 31, with the team presentations on the terrace in front of San Sebastian City Hall, and on August 1 with the race itself, a great celebration of cycling will take place in San Sebastian and throughout Gipuzkoa.
