“They came quite close…” – Tim Wellens digs deep to hold off Tom Pidcock with solo win at Clasica Jaen

Tim Wellens described his victory at Clásica Jaén as the outcome of an early decision that demanded discipline rather than aggression, after choosing to commit long before the race reached its natural point of tension.

For Wellens, the defining element of the day was not the final margin, but the fact that he forced others to react while he remained in control of his own effort.

“I think the tactics were clear,” he said in a post-race conversation with Cycling Pro Net. “We came here with a very strong team, and we needed to use that. We always wanted someone in front so the others had to chase.”

That decision shaped how he rode the remainder of the race. Once clear, the objective was no longer to increase the gap at all costs, but to regulate effort while the dynamics behind him became increasingly complex.

Wellens acknowledged that the race was far from decided when he first went clear, and that restraint was essential with so much distance still remaining. “I knew it was very far from the finish, so I couldn’t go all out,” he explained. “I was happy that he attacked, so he suffered a little bit.”

By allowing the pressure to build behind him rather than responding to every surge in the chase, Wellens was able to ride within himself while others were forced into repeated accelerations. The pursuit gradually became more selective, with riders such as Thomas Pidcock emerging as the most consistent threat rather than part of a fully organised unit.

The gap narrowed, but not abruptly. For Wellens, that distinction mattered. “There were moments I had to suffer,” he said. “But I could push my watts, and I had a really good feeling.”

The most unsettling moment of the finale came not from the chase, but from the course. With around 16 kilometres remaining, Wellens came close to losing the race in a corner.

“In my head I was already putting my muscles to anticipate the crash, because I thought I was going down,” he said. “But in the end, I was very lucky to save it, because like I say, in my head I was already on the ground suffering.”

That incident reinforced how narrow the margins had become after such a long solo effort. From that point on, the task was as much about concentration as it was about power.

When Wellens finally reached the line, the overriding sensation was relief rather than celebration. The plan he had committed to earlier had been tested repeatedly. By the chase, by fatigue, and by the road itself, and had held.