This year's ProTour classified one-day event, the San Sebastián Classic, will take place on July 31st, six days after the Tour de France ends in Paris. The race, which took place for the first time in 1981, looks set to take a quantum leap forward in 2010 with a considerably more difficult finale, make that a doubly more difficult finale.
The 2010 Clásica de San Sebastián will now include two ascents of the Jaizkibel and two ascents of the Arkale in the final 80 kilometers. Last year, one ascent of each was enough to break the race apart, so the fearsome twosome raced twice should be more than enough to cause major separation in the race.
The four climbs will all come in the final 80 kilometers of racing, making for 22 kilometers of climbing in the final 50 miles. The Jaizkibel measures 8 kilometers at 5.6%, whilst the Arkale, a climb first used in last year's race, is 2.7 kilometers long at an average gradient of 6.3%. From the top of the Arkale to the finish, racers must only negotiate the descent and less than 10 kilometers of undulating road.
The spectacular final two circuits will come following a rather sedate opening 150 kilometers. The climbs of the Orio and Garate will be the only obstacles for the riders ahead of the final two, difficult laps. Previously, there were as many as four climbs in the opening part of the race, but this year, the riders will only have to endure two.
The extremely selective final two hours and some change could see to an end to 'surprise' winners like Carlos Barredo and open the door for the best of the best in the sport to lay claim to the prestigious Classic - a great way to make a race one of the year's premiere events. It would be hard not to place any of the Tour de France's top general classification finishers as the big favorites if they elect to race the Basque Country's most important one day race.