Bahrain Victorious heads to the Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa on Saturday, where Pello Bilbao will make his final appearance at his home race before retiring from professional cycling later this season.
The 221.1 kilometre UCI WorldTour one day race features more than 4000 metres of climbing across the Basque roads, with the decisive moves expected to come over the final sequence of climbs. Jaizkibel and Erlaitz are likely to reduce the front group before the steep slopes of Murgil, less than 10 kilometres from the finish, offering the last opportunity to make the difference.
While the race marks Bilbao’s farewell to the Klasikoa, Bahrain Victorious’ sporting focus will be on supporting 20-year-old Jakob Omrzel through the decisive part of the race.
The team will look to support Omrzel deep into the race, with Bilbao’s experience on home roads set to be key in his role as road captain. Valter and Eulálio will provide important support on the climbs, while Miholjević, Paasschens and Miquel complete the team, helping keep the leaders in position before the final sequence of climbs.
For Bilbao, Saturday’s race also carries a personal significance as he prepares for his final appearance at the Klasikoa.
Pello Bilbao said:
“Well, together with Itzulia, this is the most special race for me. It’s a beautiful race, a postcard race in San Sebastián, and it’s also a special occasion because I’ll be saying goodbye to my home fans. I would have liked to arrive here in different condition, coming straight from the Tour de France and at my very best, but instead I’m still building towards the Vuelta a España. Even so, racing at home always gives me wings. I’ll try to be among the protagonists, and we’ll do everything we can to animate the race and enjoy such a special day.”
Sports Director Enrico Gasparotto said:
“San Sebastian is always a special race coming after the Tour de France. Some riders arrive with incredible form from the Tour, while others are still recovering. Our team is different, with most of the riders coming from altitude camps and starting the second part of the season here.
Our goal is to fight for a top-10 result with Jakob Omrzel. He’s a young talent and this will be his first major WorldTour one day race. Frankfurt was a good introduction, but San Sebastian, with more than 4000 metres of climbing, is a completely different challenge. We’re looking forward to seeing how far he can go against some of the best riders in the world.
Having Pello with us is also a huge advantage. As a local legend and our road captain, he knows these roads better than anyone. I trust him a lot. I worked with him in Liège earlier this season and it worked really well. He always thinks outside the box, so I’m really happy to have him alongside us in such an important role.”
The day after the team will ride the 81st edition of the Circuito de Getxo, featuring a tougher 172.2 km route starting at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and ending at Calle Los Fueros – Arkotxa in Getxo.
SD Gasparotto said: “Coming to Getxo, we are going to change two riders from the San Sebastián lineup. We’re giving Afonso and Attila one extra day of rest before Burgos, and we’ve added Oliver Stockwell and Max van der Meulen.
We really want to try to win the race with Pau Miquel, also to honour Pello’s career, because Pello started his cycling career with a small team in Getxo. It’s the last home race of his career, so we want to have fresh forces that can support Pau as much as possible all day long.”
Pau Miquel said:
“I’m coming into Getxo in good shape. The work has been done and we’ve had a good altitude training camp with the team, so everything is ready to have a good race.
I hope to be there with a reduced group in the final and have the chance to fight for the win in the sprint. It’s also an important race for Pello, as a home rider and with this being his last race here, so we want to honour him in the best possible way. We’ll give everything and try to win the race.”
