Ineos Grenadiers have announced a super-strong team for the upcoming Clásica San Sebaastián, as they look to return to winning ways after a below-par Tour de France.
Giro d'Italia 2021 winner, Egan Bernal, returns to racing after a long break that started after finishing the Giro in Milan in May. Bernal has been back in Colombia where he has spent time with friends, family and training, focusing on his back injuries.
He will likely lead the line of Ineos Grenadiers riders, however, as the British team have thrown in a few other star riders that could also fight for leader's role. Former Clásica San Sebastián winner in 2015, Adam Yates, will also race just a week after racing to 9th in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games road race.
>>> Clásica San Sebastián 2021 start lists: Julian Alaphilippe and Audrey Cordon-Ragot star in Basque one-day race
As well as those two, 2020 Critérium du Dauphiné winner Dani Martínez is also set to get back into racing for the first time since the Giro, much like Bernal. Martínez is likely to be in a support role but could be used as an early attacker.
A two-time stage winner at the 2021 Tour of the Alps, Gianni Moscon is also racing after taking part in the Olympics road race where he finished 20th.
What his form is like is unclear at the moment but he has continued to get solid results in recent months including a win at the Lugano GP in Switzerland.
The final three riders are very much support riders, but they are some of the finest in the world. Andrey Amador is another who was in Japan but as a sole representative of Costa Rica, he only managed 68th in the road race. However, he will be a vital man in the cog to victory for the Ineos Grenadiers.
Spanish rising star Carlos Rodríguez, 20, is another rider who has shown he has real promise as yet another young up-and-coming rider. He has put in multiple strong performances throughout the year, including a podium in the Spanish time trial championships and eighth in the road race.
Finally, Italian evergreen domestique rider Salvatore Puccio comes back into the supporting role for the team for the first time since the Italian National Championships alongside Moscon.
The Clásica San Sebastián takes on Saturday, July 31, starting and finishing in the Basque Country's regional capital of San Sebastián after a gruelling 223.5km route taking on six categorised climbs as well as multiple other kicks along the way.
The main rivals for the team are looking like they will be world champion Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) and Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo). Both are former winners of the race.
Clásica San Sebastián 2021: Ineos Grenadiers line-up
Egan Bernal (Col)
Adam Yates (GBr)
Dani Martínez (Col)
Gianni Moscon (Ita)
Andrey Amador (CRi)
Carlos Rodríguez (Esp)
Salvatore Puccio (Ita)
