Evenepoel announces another bid for the world championship title with a record-breaking victory in San Sebastián
Remco Evenepoel won the Clásica San Sebastián for the fourth time in his career on August 1, 2026, becoming the sole record holder of one of the most important one-day races on the international cycling calendar. The Belgian from Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe defeated Richard Carapaz in the final sprint between the two riders on the boulevard in central San Sebastián, after having to make up a deficit caused by a puncture and a bike change during the final fifty or so kilometres. Third place went to Britain’s Ben Tulett, who crossed the finish line 29 seconds behind the leading pair. Evenepoel completed the 221.1-kilometre race in 5 hours, 23 minutes and 10 seconds, while Carapaz was credited with the same time. The victory came only six days after the conclusion of the Tour de France, where the Belgian finished second in the general classification and confirmed that he is entering the final part of the season with an exceptionally high level of form.
Comeback after a mechanical problem at the most sensitive point of the race
The key problem for the overwhelming favourite arose between the climbs of Jaizkibel and Erlaitz, at a moment when the pace of the main group was already high and the teams were preparing for the final selection. According to Evenepoel’s statement after the finish, a piece of glass on the road punctured his tyre, forcing him to stop and change bikes. Before Erlaitz, he was approximately half a minute behind, and at certain moments the gap approached 36 seconds. The situation was particularly uncomfortable because attacks at the front of the race began to follow one another precisely on the steep sections of the climb, where closing the gap alone required a major expenditure of energy. His teammate Giulio Pellizzari dropped back to him and helped with part of the chase, but Evenepoel still had to do a large share of the work at his own pace.
The comeback was not linear. The Belgian first moved closer to the group, then lost contact again when Jan Christen, Giulio Ciccone and other rivals increased the pace on Erlaitz, before beginning to reduce the gap once more on the transition towards the descent. The lack of full cooperation among the leaders worked in his favour, but the manner in which he closed the gap showed that, after three weeks of the Tour, he had not lost his ability to ride for long periods at very high power. With around 32 kilometres remaining, he was back in the reduced group of favourites. As a result, a race that only a few minutes earlier had appeared almost lost was once again under his team’s control.
Teamwork opened the way for the attack on Murgil Tontorra
Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe took responsibility for controlling the breakaway and positioning its leader for most of the day. An early group of eight riders formed after approximately 25 kilometres, but its advantage never became large enough to pose a serious threat to the favourites. As the race approached Jaizkibel, the breakaway began to disintegrate, while the peloton became progressively smaller. After Evenepoel returned to the leaders, Maxim Van Gils assumed an important role, stabilising the pace, closing down opportunities for new attacks and bringing the Belgian into a favourable position before the final climb. Such support was crucial because Evenepoel had expended considerably more energy in the chase than his direct rivals.
The decisive moment came on Murgil Tontorra, a 2.1-kilometre climb with an average gradient of approximately 10.1 percent. Van Gils set a strong pace on the lower sections, and Evenepoel attacked with approximately eight kilometres remaining. Only Carapaz managed to respond without significant hesitation. The Ecuadorian, Olympic champion from Tokyo and winner of the 2019 Giro d’Italia, once again demonstrated how dangerous he is on short and very steep climbs. Ciccone, Louis Barré and the other chasers could not maintain the pace of the leading pair, who reached the summit with an advantage of approximately ten seconds and then increased the gap on the descent and over the final kilometres towards the city.
Carapaz accepted cooperation, Evenepoel preserved the better position
After the climb, the race became a tactical duel. Carapaz cooperated because a two-man breakaway offered him an almost certain place on the podium, while Evenepoel knew that he held an advantage in the final sprint if he forced his rival to move into the wind first. In the final kilometre, the Ecuadorian found himself at the front, while the Belgian remained behind his wheel. When Carapaz opened the sprint on the finishing straight, Evenepoel quickly created a gap and crossed the finish line as the winner without any uncertainty. After the race, Carapaz admitted that his rival had been faster in the final contest.
Tulett led the chasing group and finished third, 29 seconds behind the winner. Christian Scaroni, Pello Bilbao, defending champion Giulio Ciccone, Jan Christen, Marc Hirschi, Marcel Camprubí and Léo Bisiaux were classified with the same time as the Briton. Such an outcome demonstrated how precisely the attack on Murgil Tontorra had been timed: the leading pair did not gain an enormous advantage, but they opened enough of a gap to turn the battle for victory into a direct duel. After the finish, Evenepoel assessed this as the hardest of his four victories in San Sebastián, primarily because of the mechanical problem and the two separate chases in the finale.
Four appearances and four victories
Evenepoel’s relationship with the Basque classic is almost unprecedented. He has competed four times and won each of those races: in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2026. He claimed his first title as a nineteen-year-old, in the season when he was only entering the highest level of professional cycling. That triumph was one of his first major introductions to the global public and early evidence that he could win through a combination of a long-range attack, time-trialling and exceptional endurance over rolling terrain. By returning to the top seven years later, he completed a symbolic circle and transformed the race that marked the beginning of his international career into his own record-breaking territory.
The previous record was held by Marino Lejarreta, one of the best-known Spanish cyclists of his generation, who won in 1981, 1982 and 1987. Before this year’s edition, Evenepoel was level with him on three titles, and with his fourth he became the most successful rider in the history of the event. The significance of that achievement is further emphasised by the fact that the character of the race has changed over the decades. Jaizkibel was long the main symbol of the route, while newer, steeper climbs such as Erlaitz and Murgil Tontorra have made the finale more explosive and closer to the demands of modern hilly classics. Evenepoel has managed to win in different scenarios, ranging from long solo moves to a tactical sprint against a single rival.
The demanding route through Gipuzkoa once again produced a decision among the best
The forty-fifth edition of the Clásica San Sebastián covered 221.1 kilometres and more than 4,150 metres of total climbing, distributed across seven categorised ascents. The race started and finished in San Sebastián, a coastal city in the Basque Country in northern Spain, while the route passed along the rolling roads of the province of Gipuzkoa. The climbs of Kalbario, Urraki and Alkiza gradually wore down the peloton, while Jaizkibel, Erlaitz and Murgil Tontorra shaped the final selection. Such a profile favours riders capable of combining climbing ability, good positioning in technical sections and strong riding on flatter transitions.
This year’s race also confirmed the importance of team tactics. The winner’s attack itself was short and effective, but it was preceded by several hours of controlling the breakaway, positioning and shutting down dangerous moves. Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe did not panic after its leader’s mechanical problem, but instead distributed assistance across different stages of his comeback. Pellizzari reduced part of the deficit, while Van Gils enabled Evenepoel to conserve energy for several kilometres after he had rejoined the group. The victory was therefore an individual demonstration of quality, but also confirmation that, following his arrival, the team is developing around a clear support system for the biggest one-day races and Grand Tours.
Continuation of the best phase of the season after the Tour de France
The result in San Sebastián carries additional weight in the context of the Tour de France, which concluded on July 26. According to the organiser’s official classification, Evenepoel finished second, 6 minutes and 26 seconds behind Tadej Pogačar, while Isaac del Toro took third place. The Belgian won the mountainous fifteenth stage to Plateau de Solaison and the individual time trial between Évian-les-Bains and Thonon-les-Bains. The victory at the summit of Solaison was particularly important, as he withstood the pace of the best climbers and confirmed progress in a discipline that had previously often defined the limits of his ambitions in the general classification.
Carapaz also arrived in the Basque Country after a strong Tour. The Ecuadorian finished eighth overall, won the best climber classification and two stages, including the finish on Alpe d’Huez. Only a week before San Sebastián, he won there directly ahead of Evenepoel. Their duel on Murgil Tontorra was therefore no surprise, but rather a continuation of the contest between two riders who reached the end of the Tour with improving form. The difference lay in the final profile: on the long Alpine climb, Carapaz was able to use his explosiveness and attacking instinct, while in the flatter sprint in San Sebastián, Evenepoel held a clear advantage.
Montréal as the next major objective
After the victory, Evenepoel announced a period of recovery, followed by renewed preparation for the World Championships. "Now recovery and rest will follow, and then I want to rebuild my form and become world champion again," he said after the race. The UCI Road World Championships will be held in Montréal from September 20 to 27, 2026, with the elite men’s road race scheduled for the final day of the championships. According to data from the Union Cycliste Internationale and the organising committee, the riders will face 273.7 kilometres and approximately 3,803 metres of climbing, starting in Brossard and finishing near Jeanne-Mance Park in Montréal.
The final section consists of twelve laps around Mount Royal on a 13.4-kilometre circuit. The route includes the Voie Camillien-Houde climb, the demanding Chemin de la Polytechnique with sections exceeding 11 percent, and the ascent towards the finish on Avenue du Parc. Much of the final circuit is familiar from the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, meaning that the profile demands repeated accelerations, endurance after more than six hours of racing and the ability to attack at a moment when the group has already been significantly reduced. Those characteristics suit Evenepoel, but the route simultaneously creates opportunities for Pogačar, Carapaz, winners of the Ardennes classics and other riders capable of withstanding a large number of short climbs.
Double world ambition and unfinished business from Kigali
Evenepoel has already won the road race world championship title, in Wollongong, Australia, in 2022. He then became world time trial champion in 2023, defended the title in 2024 and claimed a third consecutive rainbow jersey in the discipline in Kigali in 2025. In last year’s road race in Rwanda, he won the silver medal, 1 minute and 28 seconds behind Pogačar, after a demanding race marked by a large amount of climbing and equipment problems. For that reason, his message about another title does not necessarily have to be limited to only one discipline: in Montréal, he will be among the leading candidates for both the time trial and the road race, provided he manages to maintain continuity of form following his rest.
The time trial in Montréal will be 39.2 kilometres long and will feature considerably less climbing than the road race, once again bringing Evenepoel’s aerodynamic efficiency and ability to maintain a high pace to the forefront. The road race, however, presents a different tactical challenge. The Belgian national team will have to decide how early to control events, how to allocate support riders on the final circuit and whether to wait for the final climbs or attempt to create a selection from a greater distance. The victory in San Sebastián showed that Evenepoel does not necessarily have to win through a long solo attack; he can survive complications, return after a major effort and finish the job in a sprint from a small group.
A record as confirmation of resilience, not only strength
The fourth victory at the Clásica San Sebastián differs from Evenepoel’s earlier successes because it was achieved after a situation he could not control. The puncture occurred at the worst possible moment, immediately before one of the key climbs, and his rivals had an opportunity to increase the pace and remove the favourite from contention. Instead, the Belgian remained calm enough to manage his effort, use the assistance of his team and attack only when the race had once again moved closer to the planned scenario. That ability to adapt is the most important message of his victory ahead of the World Championships, where mechanical problems, positioning and national team decisions often carry as much importance as physical strength.
Evenepoel claimed a record in San Sebastián that had remained out of reach for almost four decades, but the more important part of the remainder of his season is still to come. Following second place at the Tour, two stage victories in France and a fourth victory at the Basque classic, he will arrive in Montréal with proof that he can be competitive on long climbs, in the time trial and in the explosive finale of a one-day race. The rest period he announced should interrupt the run of competition that began with the Tour de France and allow him to rebuild his form for the end of September. The record from San Sebastián is therefore not merely a historical footnote, but also a clear announcement that the battle for the rainbow jerseys in Canada will feature one of its main protagonists.
Sources:
- Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe – official team report on Evenepoel’s fourth victory at the Clásica San Sebastián (link)
- Diario AS – race report, information about the route, chronology of the attacks and final classification (link)
- El País – context of Evenepoel’s comeback after the puncture and the history of Marino Lejarreta’s record (link)
- Tour de France – official final classification of the 2026 Tour and results of the stages won by Evenepoel (link)
- Union Cycliste Internationale – official information about the dates and profiles of the 2026 World Championships in Montréal (link)
- Montréal 2026 – official technical information for the elite men’s road race (link)
- Union Cycliste Internationale – results and context of Evenepoel’s world titles and his silver medal in the 2025 road race (link)
- CyclingUpToDate – Evenepoel’s statements after the finish about the mechanical problem, recovery and his plan for the World Championships (link)