Bauke Mollema wins Clasica San Sebastian
Trek-Segafredo's Bauke Mollema put his Tour de France struggles behind him to win the 2016 edition of the Clasica San Sebastian

Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) won the 2016 edition of the Clasica San Sebastian with an unanswerable attack over the final climb of the day.
The Dutchman held off a chasing trio consisting of Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) for the
For Mollema, the victory represents a characterful comeback after he lost a place on the Tour de France podium with just three stages remaining.
Like most of the favourites, Mollema waited for the final climb - the Bordako Tontorra - to make him move.
A new addition to this year’s race, there was a clamour among the teams to reach the narrow corner that instigated the climbing at the front of the peloton, with Orica-BikeExchange coming out on top.
Their leader, Simon Yates, attacked with Cannondale-Drapac’s Rigoberto Uran, but it was Rodriguez who managed to open up a significant gap. He too was caught at the top, however, by a chasing group of Mollema, Valverde and Gallopin.
Once the catch had been made Mollema flew off the front, managing to retain a gap that was big enough by the finish line for him to sit up and celebrate his victory.
Bauke Mollema's toughest day
Valverde lost out in the sprint for second behind Gallopin, while Rodriguez rolled in a few seconds behind, waving farewell to the crowd on his last ever San Sebastian.
Simon Yates eventually finished seventh in the next group on the road. His brother and defending champion Adam, on the other hand, did not contest the finale, and was seen riding at the back of the peloton earlier on.
In general the action was subdued before the final climb, although there were a few eye-catching moves early on featuring Team Sky riders. Michal Kwiatkowski was joined by the likes of Greg van Avermaet (BMC Racing) and Zdenek Stybar (Etixx-Quick Step) in a move that briefly went away halfway into the race, and later a seven-man group led by Mikel Landa escaped on the final ascent of the Jaizkibel with 59km to go, before being swiftly wallowed up on subsequent descent.
These moves meant that the break of the day (consisting of Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-Merida), Moreno Moser (Cannondale-Drapac), Jaime Rosón (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Jacques Janse van Rensburg (Dimension Data) Loic Chetout (Cofidis) and Pirmin Lang (IAM Cycling)) were unable to gain much of an advantage over the bunch.
Their lead peaked at 6 and a half minutes, and they were caught for good when swallowed up by first Landa’s chasing group and then the rest of the peloton.
The racing between this catch and the run-in to the final climb was uneventful, with the only action being an acceleration from Cannondale-Drapac at the front of the bunch on the penultimate climb, and later a brief attack from Igor Anton (Dimension Data).
Overall Movistar and Katusha controlled the race, and ensured a larger group than we’re used to made it to the bottom of Bordako Tontorra with 12km to go, where the race finally ignited.
Result
Classica San Sebastian, 220.2km
1. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo, 5-31-00
2. Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto-Soudal, at 17s
3. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar, st
4. Joaquim Rodriguez (Esp) Katusha, at 22s
5. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC, at 34s
6. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Etixx-Quick Step, st
7. Simon Yates (GBr) Orica-BikeExchange, st
8. Tom-Jelte Slagter (Ned) Cannondale-Drapac, st
9. Nicolas Roche (Ire) Team Sky, st
10. Dries Devenyns (Bel) IAM Cycling, at 37s
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Stephen Puddicombe is a freelance journalist for Cycling Weekly, who regularly contributes to our World Tour racing coverage with race reports, news stories, interviews and features. Outside of cycling, he also enjoys writing about film and TV - but you won't find much of that content embedded into his CW articles.
-
-
Five talking points from stage 15 of the Giro d'Italia
Our highlights from a stage where the GC contenders rolled in eight minutes behind the day's winner
By Stephen Puddicombe • Published
-
Giro d'Italia 2022 standings: Results from the 105th edition after stage 15
The latest standings from the 105th edition of the Giro d'Italia
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Elisa Longo Borghini takes a stunning solo win at Paris-Roubaix
The Italian champion takes team mate Lizzie Deignan's Queen of the Classics crown with a 32km lone effort
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
Dream Gent-Wevelgem victory lifts Elisa Balsamo to Tour of Flanders favourite status
Four victories this year have proved the world champion’s versatility but also her development since joining Trek-Segafredo
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
World champion Elisa Balsamo takes a Classics hat-trick at Gent-Wevelgem
The Italian sprinter takes a third win in eight days after heroic work from her Trek-Segafredo team
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
World champion Elisa Balsamo takes Trofeo Binda victory for Trek-Segafredo
The Italian rider timed her sprint to perfection after a tactical masterclass from her team
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
Lizzie Deignan expecting second child, will miss 2022 racing season
Paris-Roubaix winner to return in 2023 and has extended contract to 2024 with Trek-Segafredo
By Adam Becket • Published
-
'Not over yet': Concussion lingers for Ellen van Dijk after Paris-Roubaix crashes
The European road race champion fell multiple times in the first ever women's 'Hell of the North'
By Tim Bonville-Ginn • Published
-
Trek-Segafredo reveal new men's and women's team kits for 2022
The American registered team has freshened up the old designs with a simple yet bright strip
By Tim Bonville-Ginn • Published
-
'The amount of young female road riders in the United States has hit a brick wall': Experienced pro Tayler Wiles saddened at state of road cycling in America
Trek-Segafredo's Wiles wants to see a WorldTour event return to her home country
By Chris Marshall-Bell • Published