Julian Alaphilippe has withdrawn from the 2025 Clasica San
Sebastian, which takes place this Saturday August 2nd. The Frenchman
won the race back in 2018, and finished second in last year’s edition, but the
former world champion won’t get the chance to ride for victory this weekend.
Having just completed the Tour de France, the Tudor Pro Cycling rider began to
show symptoms of an upper respiratory infection in the last week. His team has
decided the best option is now to rest.
Alaphilippe’s best result at the Tour was on stage 15, when
at the finish in Carcassonne he finished third and beat Wout van Aert in the
sprint. But, with his earpiece not working, Alaphilippe actually thought he had
won the stage, as he did not know two riders had gone up the road. This time,
Alaphilippe was actually celebrating too late! But, Alaphilippe showed decent form on his return to the Tour, and would have been one of the outsiders for victory this weekend.
The Clásica de San Sebastián is infamous for its demanding
course, brutal for riders just days after the Tour. Unlike many other one day
races that favour sprinters or classics specialists, the Clásica is a true test
for climbers and the strongest of puncheurs. The race’s defining features are
its rolling steep, punchy climbs, which often culminate in the decisive ascent
of the Jaizkibel and Arkale. In recent years, Remco Evenepoel has often come
out on top, with three victories to his name.
Many top riders are on the start list this year, including
Juan Ayuso, Isaac del Toro, Mikel Landa, and even recent fourth place finisher
at the Tour de France, Oscar Onley. But, Julain Alaphilippe will not be one of
the starters this year, as he rests ahead of the final part of his season.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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