Enzo Leijnse on the attack in Klasikoa San Sebastian, Oscar Onley finishes 13th

The Tour de France had just wrapped up, but the WorldTour racing didn’t stop there. The Klasikoa San Sebastian, a classic Spanish one-day race known for its challenging climbs and exciting racing, took center stage on Saturday. Covering 211 kilometers through the Basque Country, the race demanded everything from the riders and promised plenty of action.

The day’s breakaway quickly formed, featuring 12 riders including Enzo Leijnse representing Team Picnic PostNL. During the first half of the race, their lead fluctuated between one and a half to two minutes. Meanwhile, the rest of the team stayed safe in the peloton to protect finisher Oscar Onley.

On the infamous Alto de Jaizkibel, the breakaway was caught, and the race exploded on the penultimate climb, the Erlaitz. There, a select group including eventual winner Ciccone broke away. Unfortunately, the group containing Onley and Warren Barguil couldn’t catch the leaders, meaning we were out of contention for the win. Ultimately, Onley finished just outside the top 10, crossing the line in 13th place.

After the race, Team Picnic PostNL coach Christian Guiberteau reflected: “Our goal today was to keep an eye on any serious breakaways. When a group of 11 riders got away, it was important to have someone up there, so it was good to see Enzo make the move. He could potentially have been of value to the team after the Jaizkibel, but the pace in the peloton was high, and he was caught already on that climb. Still, the plan was solid. When the race completely exploded on the next climb, the Erlaitz, Oscar just missed the decisive move. He was in one of the chasing groups behind the leaders, but unfortunately, a top-10 finish was just out of reach. That said, with a respectable 13th place, we were definitely in the race today.”