Evenepoel overcomes a breakdown, beats Carapaz, and becomes the king of San Sebastián

Remco Evenepoel continues to show that the Clásica San Sebastián is one of his favorite races. The Belgian from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe triumphed this Saturday in the 45th edition of the Donostia Klasikoa after defeating Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz in a two-rider sprint, achieving his fourth victory in the event and becoming the cyclist with the most wins in the history of the Basque classic.

The second place went to Carapaz, while Ben Tulett completed the podium by winning the sprint of the chasing group, which crossed the finish line 29 seconds later.

Remco Evenepoel overcomes a mechanical problem and makes history with his fourth Clásica San Sebastián

The day began with a breakaway of eight riders that enjoyed nearly three minutes of advantage. Among the protagonists of the break were Tim Rex, Iñigo Elosegui, Ådne Holter, Valentin Ferron, Lorenzo Quartucci, Nicolás Alustiza, Nickolas Zukowsky, and Joan Bou.

RECOMENDADO

Evenepoel seeks a historic record in the San Sebastián Classic 2026: schedules and how to watch

Evenepoel wins again 24 hours after the Tour

Roglic, hit by a car during training: misses San Sebastián and Burgos, but maintains the goal of La Vuelta

Van Aert avoids a crash, changes bikes, and wins the queen stage in Denmark: three out of three

Switzerland does not fail at home and wins the Team Relay European Championship 2026

However, the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team never lost control of the situation. The German formation took responsibility for the peloton for much of the route and increased the pace on the main climbs, especially on the way to Jaizkibel, where the gap to the break began to reduce definitively.

With the arrival at Erlaitz, the race began to break apart. Maxim Van Gils and the Red Bull men maintained a very high pace while the favorites were left practically alone.

A bike change complicated Evenepoel's plan

The most delicate moment for the big favorite came about 50 kilometers from the finish. Evenepoel suffered a mechanical problem that forced him to change bikes just before tackling Erlaitz.

The Belgian was momentarily dropped and had to make a significant effort to return to a group of favorites that continued to accelerate ahead. For several kilometers he chased almost solo until he managed to reconnect, an effort that could have completely changed the outcome of the race.

Once reintegrated, Red Bull reorganized the chase with Van Gils setting the pace and allowed their leader to arrive in a position to contest the decisive stretch.

Murgil dictated the outcome again

As had happened in many previous editions, the race was decided on the tough slopes of Murgil Tontorra.

Evenepoel launched his acceleration on the gradients above 10%, and only Richard Carapaz was able to follow his wheel. Behind, riders like Giulio Ciccone, Jan Christen, Christian Scaroni, or Pello Bilbao could no longer respond to the change of pace.

The two leaders crested together with a few seconds advantage and collaborated during the descent and the final flat stretch until reaching the finish straight.

A sprint to confirm a historic record

Although Carapaz collaborated in the last kilometers, the victory was decided in the sprint. Evenepoel launched the effort from afar, and the Ecuadorian could not come back, certifying a new triumph for the Belgian in San Sebastián.

| Smaakmakers van de Tour Remco Evenepoel en Richard Carapaz kleuren de finale van Clasica San Sebastián, met als winnaar de Belg als nieuwe recordhouder! #ClasicaSanSebastian

Koers HBO Max pic.twitter.com/9Zi8dnykdZ

— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) August 1, 2026

With this success, the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider adds his fourth victory in the Donostia Klasikoa (2019, 2022, 2023, and 2026), definitively surpassing Marino Lejarreta's three and becoming the sole record holder of the event.

Top 10 of the Clásica San Sebastián 2026

1. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – 5:23:10
2. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) – +00”
3. Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike) – +29”
4. Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team) – +29”
5. Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) – +29”
6. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) – +29”
7. Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) – +29”
8. Marc Hirschi (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) – +29”