Adam Yates has won the Clásica de San Sebastián in the Basque region today.
This 219.2km race which stated and finished n San Sebastián and had a course that featured three category one and three category two climbs.
Eight riders in Manuel Boaro (Tinkoff-Saxo), Valerio Agnoli (Astana), Dennis Vannendert (Lotto Soudal), Nathan Haas (Cannondale-Garmin), Maarten Wynants (LottoNL-Jumbo), Thomas Degand (IAM Cycling), Lluis Mas (Caja Rural) and Romain Hardy (Cofidis), were straight into a break and were soon 3.05 ahead.
With 89kms completed the gap had gone out to 3.40, the group stayed away until Boaro decided to go on a sola break.
That was dealt with and on the Alto Arkale climb, a new group of sixteen riders formed with thirty kilometres to go.
Onto the final Bordako Tontorra climb with its ramps of 20% and there was a crash which saw Greg Van Avermaet go down and with everyone looking at everyone else, Adam Yates of Orica GreenEdge got away.
The rider from Rotherham was not to be caught and he took the win in 5.30.22, some fifteen seconds ahead of Philippe Gilbert of BMC, Alejandro Valverde of Movistar who was the 2014 winner and Katusha's Daniel Moreno and Joaquim Rodríguez with irishman Dan Martin of Cannondale-Garmin in seventh.
“Incredible,” Yates said. “I won, but I didn’t know I had won.”
“I spoke on the radio to my sport director but because of the crowds the radio was too quiet.
“On the final climb there was a breakaway still up the road. Then there was a lot of carnage on the climb, there was a crash with a motorbike, and so I just went full gas.
“At the time I didn’t know if I had reached the lead or not.
“For sure this is the biggest win of my career and it’s my first victory this year.
“In 2014 I went to the Tour of Basque Country got sick and crashed, last year's San Sebastian I crashed and this year's Tour of Basque Country I crashed again. Normally when I come here I don’t do anything, just crash. It’s fantastic, hopefully I can come back next year and defend my title.”