The 32-year-old rode an impressive race Saturday afternoon.
Julian Alaphilippe came close to what would have been a second victory in Clasica San Sebastian, the only Spanish one-day race on the World Tour calendar, after a great day of racing. The two-time World Champion was arguably the main protagonist of the 236km race starting and finishing not far from the famous Concha beach, attacking relentlessly and showing great shape and determination as he tried to make the difference.
Things exploded quite far from the finish, on the demanding Erlaitz, a climb where Julian put in a probing attack that ended up splitting the peloton. A more selective group formed before the top, and despite not having the numbers on the chasers, the sixteen men at the front managed to stay away by the time they got to the bottom of Pilotegi.
This excruciating ascent, making its first appearance on the Clasica San Sebastian parcours, was a brutal one, its two kilometers averaging almost 12%. But the toughest moment of the day came in the final 500 meters, when the riders hit the insane 27% slopes where Alaphilippe – who had attacked again just minutes before – put in another massive acceleration and landed an important blow.
Only Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) was able to take his wheel and the two barrelled down the technical descent that took them onto the Boulevard, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. Julian spared no effort, taking some long and strong turns at the front to ensure a gap of more than ten seconds on the chasers entering the last kilometer, and made sure to carefully bide his time on the finishing straight, knowing the headwind would play a role there. His strong sprint, launched just 150 meters from the line, earned the Frenchman runner-up, making it six consecutive editions with a Soudal Quick-Step rider in the top three.
“I’m happy to be back on the podium of a big race, especially such a hard one! Of course, I’m a little disappointed to have been so close to victory but I gave it my all and really left everything out there. Hirschi was really strong, he did a good sprint at the right time, so I don’t have any regrets, knowing that I did all that I could. Despite coming second, I got a lot of confidence and I’m looking forward to the next challenges together with the team”, said Julian after his 18th podium in a World Tour one-day race.
Photo credit: ©Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno / Getty Images
