Remco Evenepoel will skip hat-trick attempt at Clasica San Sebastian as Julian Alaphilippe and Mikel Landa lead Soudal - Quick-Step
Cycling
Soudal - Quick-Step returns to action this weekend at the next Spanish WorldTour appointment - Clasica San Sebastian. The Wolfpack triumphed four times over the last 6 years in the Basque classic, however the men who brought them the last three of those successes won't be making an appearance after an already very exhaustive summer campaign.
Yes, we're talking about the double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel who was previously third overall at the Tour de France. After all the accomplishments, it's no wonder he'll be given some time to refill his energy tanks. Therefore the winner of 2019, 2022 and 2023 editions won't be in San Sebastian chasing that fourth triumph. At least as far as 2024 is concerned.
However his attractive racing style is not unknown to the "replacement" leader for this year. The quotation marks are needed as Julian Alaphilippe is a leader many teams could only dream off. With a second place and a stage at the Tour of Slovakia, stage at Czech Tour and finally a part of France's silver-bronze success at the Olympic Games, the 32-year-old seems to be very close to his best shape. Will he be able to add another to his a bit dusty victory from 2018?
Likewise the local hero Mikel Landa looks to be in more than solid shape. The experienced Basque will return to racing after a more than successful Tour de France where he entered the final top-5 for the third time in his career. After two fourth places in 2017 and 2020, he added a fifth place to his collection. All that while supporting team leader Remco Evenepoel in the mountains.
"We won a lot of times this beautiful event and we want to do again a good race. We come with Julian, who had a strong outing at the Czech Tour, and Mikel Landa, in his first race since concluding a solid Tour de France in the top five three weeks ago. They are both very motivated and can rely on a good squad that is ready to support them," said Soudal - Quick-Step sports director Wilfried Peeters in press release.
Soudal - Quick-Step lineup for Clasica San Sebastian:
Julian Alaphilippe
Kasper Asgreen
Mattia Cattaneo
Gil Gelders
Mikel Landa
William Junior Lecerf
Mauri Vansevenant
Kasper Asgreen
Mattia Cattaneo
Gil Gelders
Mikel Landa
William Junior Lecerf
Mauri Vansevenant
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses 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.
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Back in action this week for one of the best one-day races of the season 😃 Artwork: @BeelWout
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