Oyarbide 6th with superb break in San Sebastián
03 August 2019

Donostiako Klasikoa

Spanish road race champion from Movistar Team spends more than half the Basque race ahead of the bunch, completes great race against top climbers. Lorena Llamas claims QOM classification.

Australian Lucy Kennedy (MTS) bounced back from a difficult situation to win the first ever women’s Clásica San Sebastián, a UCI 1.1, 126km course over the climbs of Jaizkibel, Arkale, Mendizorrotz and Murgil Tontorra. A puncture into the downhill of the penultimate climb did not keep her from ultimately bridging back to race leader Janneke Ensing (WNT) and claim the solo victory in the Boulevard.

Lorena Llamas into the early moves. (c) Photo Gomez Sport

The Movistar Team completed a great race despite being unable to send its top climbers to the fore near the finish. Lourdes Oyarbide, on the move after Jaizkibel following an early attack from Lorena Llamas -which granted the Catalan climber the QOM prize-, resisted with talent and resilience against a pursuit group including all three podium finishers – even at the Murgil climb, after which he launched herself on a final pursuit for a notable 6th place.

Oyarbide at the podium in the Boulevard. (c) Movistar Team

DECLARACIONES / Lourdes Oyarbide:

”The race looked on paper like one to be played out within the top climbers -tough climbs, lots of elevation gain, a really grueling course-, and so we planned to work for Eider and Mavi. There was a big break ahead, my task was to get myself into those moves and handing on. I didn’t expect to get this result, because our plan was clear from the very start. I was able to follow that task I had set on myself, the legs responded well and I’m so happy with how the race panned out, the level I showed and, most especially, the Basque fans. I was really able to feel what the men’s peloton usually does at every race here. They create a ‘tunnel’ with fans, they really help you use every bit of energy you’ve got inside and then some more. A spectacular day.”

Cover picture  (c): Photo Gomez Sport