Clásica de San Sebastián 2021: The Route

Saturday 31 July - At 223.5 kilometres, the Clásica de San Sebastián is played out in the steep hills of the Basque Country. The finale includes a 2.1 kilometres drag at 10.1% before a fast and technical descent into San Sebastián.

The riders clip into their pedals in Donostia, as the Basques prefer to call San Sebastián. Following a rolling section of approximately 60 kilometres the climbing kicks in hard at the Azkarate: 4.3 kilometres at 7.3%.

In short succession the riders tackle the Urraki (8.6 kilometres at 6.9%) and Alkiza (4.4 kilometres at 6.2%) before continuing onto an undulating phase of roughly 50 kilometres. Then the Jaizkibel appears, which is a staple climb at the Clásica de San Sebastián. The route ascends 6.9 kilometres with an average gradient of 6.2%, although that statistic is biased by several false flat sections – notably at the beginning and halfway.

Roughly 7 kilometres after the descent the riders hit the Erlaitz, a brutal climb of 3.8 kilometres at 10.6%. The route does not go down straight away, but 4 kilometres later.

The riders descend into San Sebastián for the first passage on the line with 18 kilometres remaining. The route continues to the steep ramps of the Murgil’s climb. The wall-like obstacle was first included in 2014. The Murgil Tontorra, as the Basques say, has an average slope of 10.1% and the length is 2.1 kilometres. The climb peaks out at 22%.

Only 7.3 kilometres remaining at the top. First a false flat and then a technical descent into San Sebastián before the last 3 kilometres are played out on the wide and flat boulevards along the coast.

Another interesting read: results/race report 2021 Clásica de San Sebastián.