On July 30th, the World Tour peloton resumes its journey, bidding farewell to the Tour de France and turning its wheels towards Spain. A diverse array of classics and stage races awaits, including the Clasica San Sebastian. This race promises an exhilarating showdown as climbers and puncheurs vie for valuable points on the challenging course.
The route will total a long 223 kilometers on the road, without too much flat terrain as the mountains of the region will see the riders constantly go up and down throughout the day, totaling at just over 4000 meters of climbing throughout the day.
Donostia-San Sebastián - Donostia-San Sebastián, 223 kilometers
The race sees a lot of climbs early on, although it never goes into the high mountains, instead going through some hilly roads. The race is to be decided in the final hour of racing however, with three decisive climbs.
The first is the Jaizkibel, just on the outskirts of San Sebastián and a climb that is traditional in the race. It’s 7.4 kilometers long at 5.8% and summits with 63 kilometers to go, with a rather technical descent afterwards.
Jaizkibel: 7.4Km; 5.8% average gradient; 63Km to go
A crucial ascent will be to Erlaitz, right afterwards. After it’s summit, with 43Km to go, there is a plateau section which can easily be a launchpad for crucial attacks as the peloton will be thinned out and many will be looking to save their legs for the final ascent. However on the slopes of the climb, which averages over 10% for 4 kilometers, differences can be made, attacks can be dealt and serious damage can be created for the race’s outcome.
Erlaitz: 4.0Km; 10.4% average gradient; 43Km to go
Over the last few years the crucial point has become the Alto de Murgil. Not decisive in the last two editions, however no matter what happens this will be a critical moment, as the riders look to save their legs for the final 900 meters of the climb where the gradients are vicious, up to 18%. A pure anaerobic effort which finishes with only 8 kilometers to go.
A short descent and a fast run-in back to the city center leaves the riders close to the finish, where either a small sprint fight or a solo winner will be crowned in San Sebastián.
Alto de Murgil: 2.0Km; 9.9% average gradient; 8Km to go
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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Davide15-11-2026 - Congrats! It is done so now is time for CX.averagecyclist15-11-2026
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- Yeah, what he said!Lozza15-11-2026
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