Although Astana directeur sportif Alexandr Shefer said beforehand that he hoped Jakob Fuglsang’s strong Tour de France would see him to go on to ride well in today’s Clasica San Sebastian, things didn’t go to plan for the Danish rider.
Fuglsang, who finished a career-best seventh in the Tour, finished three minutes twenty seconds behind today’s winner Tony Gallopin (RadioShack Leopard). He was 36th, having drifted back as the race progressed.
Speaking afterwards, Shefer accepted that there were fresher riders in the race.
“The kind of rider who wins San Sebastian is the kind of rider who finished in the middle at the Tour, who didn't fight the last week for GC,” he said, despite the fact that Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Roman Kreuziger (Saxo Tinkoff) were in the hunt today, taking second and third.
“Recovery for the leaders after the Tour can be fast or slow, but for non-GC riders who come to San Sebastian, this is their Classic. They have excellent form, they should be very strong if they manage their recovery well, and it's a hard course to win on that favours a diesel rider who can put on a big effort at the end.”
Fuglsang is thought likely to ride the Vuelta a España in support of Astana leader Vincenzo Nibali and will now likely back off somewhat in order to recharge his batteries.
“Jakob finished seventh from a team of five riders at the Tour,” said Shefer. “He worked a lot and spent a lot of his own energy, and to have the kind of explosive energy left in his body a week after such a hard ordeal is expecting too much.
“We came, we raced as well as we could, and now the Tour riders can really take time off, really take a break to rest and begin a real recovery.”