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Sunday, August 3, 2025

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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

History is a gallery of pictures in which there are few originals and many copies. - Alexis de Tocqueville

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Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Giro d'Italia, A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Vol 2: 1971 - 2011 is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• August 3: Circuito de Getxo

Upcoming racing:

• August 4 - 10: Tour of Poland
• August 5 - 9: Vuelta a Burgos
• August 6 - 8: Tour de l'Ain
• August 7 - 10: Arctic Race of Norway

Latest completed racing:

• August 2: San Sebastian Classic
• July 26 - July 30: Tour de Wallonie
• July 27: Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
• July 5 - 27: Tour de France
• June 21 - 29: Most national road championships
• June 24: Giro dell'Appennino
• June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
• June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour

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Clásica de San Sebastián team reports

We posted the report from the race organizer with the results.

Here's the report from race winner Giulio Ciccone's Team Lidl-Trek:

After an extended absence from racing whilst recovering from the crash that made him leave the Giro in May, Giulio Ciccone returned to racing in the best way possible: winning. As the selection was made on Erlaitz, the penultimate climb of the Basque classic, Ciccone made sure he was present. When he saw that he was outnumbered in the group, with UAE Team Emirates and Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe both present with two riders, Ciccone upped the pace, with only Isaac Del Toro able to join him.

The pair worked together well over the top of Erlaitz before a fast descent into San Sebastián ahead of the final 18km loop. As Cicco pushed the pace on the final climb, Del Toro faded, instead replaced by his teammate Jan Christen. Cicco lead Christen by 10 seconds through the technical descent and subsequent race through the streets of San Sebastián. The Italian held on to his advantage to the line, giving him time to savor the moment as the passionate Basque fans cheered for his victory.

Giulio Ciccone has left the rest of the best behind. Photo: Luis Angel Gomez/Sprint Cycling Agency

The winner’s words:
“I think this is something special. After the crash in the Giro it was not easy to continue with the same morale, mentally it was a really hard moment for me. I had two weeks rest, then realized it was the moment to come back even stronger than before. I need to say thanks to my team and teammates because they really pushed a lot for me. Honestly, I didn’t expect that I was able to win already today, but I’m really happy to have these legs and the same shape I had in the Giro before the crash.

[On Murgil Tontorra] “I think this was the moment where I took the decision to go full gas. I saw Del Toro dropping and Christen was coming from the back so this was the moment to try. I think in the end it was the right decision.

“Winning here is something special, I really like this race. The first time I did this race I had a special feeling when Markel [Irizar] stopped his career here, and from there we always put this race in the calendar. I really love it and it’s a pleasure to win.”

When quizzed about his 100% sunglasses remaining on his face, Giulio said, “I was scared to risk something with the victory, I just wanted to enjoy. But, I tell you I was thinking to do something, then I said ‘ok, it’s ok like this, I will just enjoy the moment’.”

Here's the report from second-place Jan Christen's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:

Jan Christen of UAE Team Emirates-XRG delivered a solid performance to finish second in today’s 44th edition of the Clásica de San Sebastián. Over a grueling 211.4 km race featuring six key climbs, the Swiss rider proved his strength on the demanding Basque terrain, missing out on the win by a slender margin to a flying Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek).

Jan Christen finishes second. Sirotti photo

The team made its presence felt early, launching numerous riders up the road over the penultimate slope. It was over the Erlaitz climb, UAE Team Emirates-XRG animated the race as Isaac Del Toro and Giulio Ciccone surged clear from an elite group. Their attack split the race and set up the finale.

With Del Toro showing signs of fatigue and the peloton closing in, Jan Christen was called into action. On the steep slopes of the final climb, the young Swiss rider responded with a powerful surge from the chasing group on the steep Murgil-Tontorra climb. He bridged across swiftly from the chasing group but despite his efforts, Ciccone proved the strongest on the day, launching a solo attack that ultimately earned him victory. Christen crossed the line just +9” behind, securing a hard-earned second place and another podium for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull Bora hansgrohe) rounded out the podium as Isaac Del Toro was able to hold on to take 5th place.

Christen: “It was a hard race, Giulio was super strong. We tried everything and we almost won. On the final steep climb I felt good and could go across to Isaac and I tried to jump directly to try and surprise Ciccone and maybe set up a 1-2 with Isaac but he wasn’t feeling too good at that point. Ciccone kept the pressure on until the finish so congrats to him.”

Here's the report from fourth-place Tiesj Benoot's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Tiesj Benoot confirmed his strong form with a fourth-place finish at Clásica San Sebastián. The 31-year-old Belgian from Team Visma | Lease a Bike was passed at the last moment in the sprint for third place by Maxim van Gils. Cian Uijtdebroeks made a successful return to the peloton with a ninth-place finish. Victory went to Giulio Ciccone.

Maxim Van Gils (on right) just beats Tiesj Benoot for third place. Sirotti photo

Spain’s most important one-day race appeared on the calendar for the 44th time this year. The peloton departed from San Sebastián for a 211-kilometre race featuring six climbs and more than four thousand metres of elevation. Team Visma | Lease a Bike lined up with a blend of youth and experience. 

With around forty kilometres to go, the favourites tested each other on the steep Erlaitz climb. A select group managed to follow an attack by Primož Roglič. As the climb wore on, the lead group thinned out. At the summit, Isaac Del Toro and Giulio Ciccone were first over the top. Uijtdebroeks and Benoot followed shortly after in the chasing group. 

Del Toro and Ciccone reached the final climb together, where only Jan Christen managed to join them. In the end, Ciccone proved the strongest at the front. In the chasing group, Benoot still had a powerful sprint left but narrowly missed out on a podium place. His teammate Uijtdebroeks, competing in his first race since April, finished ninth. 

“I’ve recovered well from the Tour de France,” Benoot said afterward. “Clásica San Sebastián is always a tough and honest race, so I’m happy that I was able to show myself again. For a long time I thought I’d take third, but Van Gils passed me just before the line. That stung a bit, but I’m definitely pleased with this result. We can look back on a strong team performance. It was also great to see Cian immediately performing in a race of this calibre.” 

Uijtdebroeks had a long recovery following an injury. The 22-year-old Belgian rode his first race since late April and was satisfied with his return. “I felt good from the start. On the Erlaitz, I was just a little too far back when Roglič attacked. I had to dig deep to close the gap, but I managed it just after the top. I ended up in the chasing group with Tiesj. On the final climb, I decided to do some work for him, and he was able to sprint for the podium.” 

“I’d already been feeling good in training over the past few weeks, but translating that into a race is something else,” Uijtdebroeks added. “I started without too many expectations, but things definitely turned out positively. The course suited my strengths well. I hope to carry this good feeling into the next races, starting with the Tour de l’Ain.”

Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this Clásica de San Sebastián report:

The 44th edition of Clasica San Sebastian – the only World Tour one-day race held in the Iberian Peninsula – took place on Saturday, when the peloton tackled a hilly 211km route comprising six climbs and almost 4000 vertical meters before the finish on the famous and picturesque Boulevard.

Gil Gelders, who recently extended his contract with Soudal Quick-Step until the end of 2027, was one of the day’s first attackers, booking a place in a strong 12-man breakaway that formed before the first difficulty of the race and put two minutes between them and the peloton. The Belgian had a solid ride in that group, which was reeled in only ahead of Erlaitz, the penultimate hill.

Team Soudal Quick-Step at the teams presentation ceremony before the race. Sirotti photo

There, the pre-race favourites showed their intentions, launching a series of accelerations that split the bunch, leaving only two riders at the front, with a nine-man group trailing them by 45 seconds on the roads to Murgil-Tontorra, the hardest climb on the course. After an attack on its steep slopes, Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) took a solo victory in San Sebastian, while Gianmarco Garofoli finished as the first Soudal Quick-Step rider home.

And here's the Clásica de San Sebastián report from Team Groupama-FDJ:

A bit less than a week after the end of the Tour de France, Romain Grégoire used his very last bullets on Saturday in the Klasikoa San Sebastián. Although he was unable to enter the first two groups after the decisive climb of Erlaitz, the Frenchman still fought to the end to secure a fifteenth place in Spain’s only WorldTour event.

A year after being slightly postponed due to the Olympic Games, the Klasikoa San Sebastian was back to its usual position on the cycling calendar, just a week after the Tour de France. Therefore, and as usual, the bunch brought together some participants in the “Grande Boucle” and riders more or less advanced in their return to competition. As for the Groupama-FDJ cycling team, only Romain Grégoire was present after doing the Tour, and he was lining up alongside teammates who had recently taken part in the Tour de Wallonie or had just completed a training camp in the Alps.

Team Groupama-FDJ is presented before the stage start. Sirotti photo

While the early part of the race saw a twelve-man breakaway develop, the French rider unfortunately lost one of his colleagues after about two hours of riding, as Kevin Geniets was forced to abandon the race following a crash. In the meantime, the leading group never enjoyed an advantage bigger than three minutes due to careful control of the peloton. With eighty kilometers to go, as they crossed the finish line in San Sebastian on the opposite side, before tackling the well-known Jaizkibel, the gap even reduced to less than a minute.

“We know that the Jaizkibel traditionally makes an initial selection, but that the truly strategic point is the Erlaitz climb,” explained Philippe Mauduit. “Knowing this, we were positioned at the bottom of the Jaizkibel and the bottom of Erlaitz to put Romain and our climbers in the best possible position. The Jaizkibel wasn’t climbed very fast this year compared to other editions, and so everything happened in Erlaitz.”

Perfectly positioned by his teammates before tackling the four kilometers at 10%, Romain Grégoire was able to really get in the mix. At the foot, he even jumped on the wheel of Primoz Roglic, who made the first attack among the favorites. However, the young man from Besançon was unable to follow the second offensive a few moments later. “Romain managed to hang on to the right groups in the first part of the climb, then he cracked a bit about one kilometre from the summit,” Philippe said. With forty kilometres to go, the Groupama-FDJ puncher was therefore about 1’30 behind the leading duo made of Isaac del Tor and Giulio Ciccone, and forty seconds behind a group of nine chasers.

Despite some fifteen kilometres of flat roads following the descent of Erlaitz to reach the climb of Murgil Tontorra (2 km at 9.6%), the first two groups didn’t get caught. “At the top of Erlaitz, the peloton was split into groups of ten, and around forty riders got together before crossing the finish line in San Sebastian,” Philippe added. “On the final climb, this group exploded again.” A few riders broke away, and Romain Grégoire ultimately arrived two minutes after Ciccone, the day’s winner. The Frenchman came back at the very last moment, during his final sprint, to a small group fighting for 10th place. He eventually took 15th.

“When you come out of the Tour, it’s always a bit of a lottery,” said Philippe. “Either it works, or it doesn’t. On top of that, Romain still bears some scars from his crash. We know he doesn’t make excuses, but I think it still had a small impact. Anyway, we rode the race we needed to, the riders were there in the right place at the right time, and then it came down to legs. It’s such a demanding race, if you’re lacking a little something, you’re not with the best. When it’s like this, you can’t really have regrets. We are where we belong given the circumstances of the day and the approach we had to this race.”

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