- 25 teams are set to start the 43rd edition of the Clásica San Sebastián
- Big names from the international peloton have pre-registered
Today, 2 August, the Official Presentation of the Clásica San Sebastián 2024 took place at the San Sebastián City Hall. Attendees included Eneko Goia, Mayor of San Sebastian, Iñaki Gabarain, Donostia Sports Councillor, Marta Pastor, Director of Sports at the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, Juan José Fernández Gómez, B2C Northern Zone Sales Representative, and Julián Eraso, President of OCETA.
The official routes and changes compared to the previous year were presented at the event. Julian Eraso, OCETA president, shared his assessment of this year’s race with the attendees. “The Clásica San Sebastián is back for another year, making it the 43rd edition of one of the most important races on the cycling calendar”. He explained that “this year we have had to alter the route due to different works and the poor state of certain roads, but the new race course will still be a spectacle to behold”.
The mayor of Donostia/San Sebastián, Eneko Goia, stressed that “for a moment we will be taken back to the 80s and 90s when the Clásica used to be held the day before the start of the Semana Grande to herald one of our most beloved festivals—a period when we experienced great Clásicas. I am sure that this year also the Clásica will be an exceptional herald, a great cycling fiesta following the Tour de France and the Olympic Games, to kick off a week in which sport, and cycling in particular, will take centre stage”.
The Councillor for Sports, Iñaki Gabarain, commented that “this sporting spectacle is now in its 43rd year, attracting the attention of cycling fans from all over the world and from San Sebastian in particular, whose support and encouragement for the peloton is recognised worldwide. The elite of international cycling will compete on a demanding 236-kilometre route, with the finish line, on this occasion located in Zurriola. It is the sporting event of the season in the city, a standard bearer for the Donostia summer”.
Ana Pastor, sports director at the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, pointed out that, “the Clásica de San Sebastián puts Gipuzkoa on the world sporting map. By attracting top cyclists and teams from around the world, the race receives global media coverage and highlights the beauty and charm of Gipuzkoa to an international audience. The race also serves as inspiration and encouragement for our younger athletes. Watching elite cyclists compete on our roads can awaken a vocation and encourage youngsters to take up cycling. Which is fundamental for the development of grassroots sports, one of our priorities”.
For his part, Juan José Fernández, B2C Sales Representative for TotalEnergies, sponsor of La Clásica, described the multi-energy company’s involvement with the race. “At TotalEnergies we aim to contribute to social wellbeing in the areas where we operate and what better way than to support a race that promotes the values of sport”. The company stated that it has more than 500,000 active electricity, gas and services contracts in the Basque Country (and almost 2 million nationwide). And also has offices here in Donosti, Bilbao, Barakaldo and Vitoria.
“And this year we will again have a dual presence in the race, with our cycling team, Team TotalEnergies,” he added. In this sense, “The energy of the races”, as TotalEnergies is known, is strongly committed to sport, as Juan José Fernández explained, in addition to the Clásica de San Sebastián, they also sponsor, the Itzulia and the Vuelta a Asturias, and several bicycle tourism events. In running, they support races such as the Behobia – San Sebastián, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Madrid, the Seville Marathon and the Carrera de la Mujer circuit. In total, more than 300,000 participate in their races”.
Intermediate sprint sponsors indicated that “the UTE DONOSTIAKO GARBIKETA and, therefore, the companies that comprise it, FCC Medio Ambiente, S.A.U. and Serbitzu Elkartea, S.L., are delighted to sponsor the Clásica again this year.
Cycling shows that teamwork and endeavour can lead to great success and that reaching the finish line is often more important than winning. The enjoyment of great international figures in cycling on 10 August, will enable both young and old to unite around this sport.
Following it live at a specific location or via audiovisual media makes it possible to appreciate the different areas of our great land. From the UTE DG, we hope that it will be an exciting day that we can all enjoy together”.
Jose Manuel Echarri, CEO of Echemar, commented in his speech that “At Transportes Echemar we understand that companies have to bring wealth to the province and what better way than to support a sporting event with such an international impact. We share the values of hard work in cycling, as the work of a truck driver is also very, very hard work. And also to show that here in Gipuzkoa there are transport companies with the capacity to provide logistical support for an event of this calibre”. He went on to add that, “sponsorship has a great media impact as cycling is very visible in all media. Guipuzcoa fans are impressive, and we must continue to support this organisation”.
Joseba Urkiola closed the presentation ceremony by explaining how to follow the race: “The live broadcast will commence at 2:30 pm on ETB1. The broadcast will be transmitted from a new mobile unit in UHD on HBBTV, with 4K resolution. Thanks to its sophisticated technology, EITB viewers will be able to enjoy a high-level spectacle. Fermin Aramendi, Xabier Usabiaga and Alfontso Arroio will provide race commentary. The entire race can also be followed on Euskadi Irratia, Radio Euskadi and etib.eus. “
The provisional registration list includes great cyclists such as Julian Alaphilippe and Mikel Landa (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Neilson Powless and Richard Carapaz, (EF Education – Easypost), Primoz Roglic and Jai Hindley (Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe), Alex Aranburu and Oier Lazkano (Movistar), Simon Yates (Jayco Alula), Sepp Kuss (Visma – Lease a Bike), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl – Trek), Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates), Ion Izagirre and Gorka Izagirre (Cofidis) and Romain Bardet (Team DSM-Firmenich Postnl) and many others.
A celebration of cycling
The organisers of the Clásica hope that a great cycling party will ensue in San Sebastián on Friday 9 August for the team presentation on Kursaal terrace and race day in Gipuzkoa on 10 July.
