"He was a little fresher" - Pello Bilbao praises Remco Evenepoel after losing out in thrilling finale to Clasica San Sebastian

After a brilliant Tour de France, Pello Bilbao continued to show some impressive form, finishing second behind Remco Evenepoel on home roads at the Clasica San Sebastian.

“It was a long, tough final. We knew that Remco likes to go early, we were ready on the Erlaitz,” says the Basque rider of Bahrain - Victorious post-race to his team's social media. “After that we worked well together in the leading group. Remco also gave everything."

Heading into the final climb the podium was a done deal as Bilbao, Evenepoel and Aleksandr Vlasov rode clear. The only question would be the order in which they would finish. As it turned out, Vlasov dropped first, unable to follow and Evenepoel attack, leaving the remaining two to battle it out in a sprint, the Belgian edging the victory in a thrilling finale.

"On the last climb we rode away together, but Remco still had some more energy in the tank. He was a little fresher," Bilbao concludes. "I could feel this in the final kilometres. It was not possible to beat it in the sprint, but I am very proud of the work I have done in recent weeks.”