Steven Kruijswijk aims to show himself in the Clasica San Sebastian on Saturday. The Dutch climber wants to convert his end of Tour de France form into a good result in the Spanish classic. 

“I had a couple of good days towards the end of the Tour de France,” Kruijswijk said. “I want to continue that upward trend towards the Clasica San Sebastian. That race suits me. The profile is tough. There are many climbs and there is a steep and narrow one just before the finish. That’s where the race will be won. I have to make sure that I’m in a good position. Until that ascent, it’s about saving energy. If I succeed, I will be able to convert my good form into a beautiful result.” 

Motivated
“It’s always a Tour de France rider who wins in San Sebastian,” said former winner Erik Dekker. “When you consider that, we have two guns with Steven Kruijswijk and Wilco Kelderman. If they’re able to keep themselves motivated after the Tour de France, they have a chance. They have to make sure that they’re recovering in an active way during the days in between. To race some post-Tour criteriums is a way to ensure that. To ride a hundred kilometres every night stops your body from becoming idle." 

“The Clasica San Sebastian is a relaxed race until the final. The profile is tough, but there isn’t too much stress. That means that you only have to be focussed in a select part of the race. Until that moment, you have to think about something else and ignore the pain. It’s necessary for Steven and Wilco to be motivated enough to do that.” 

Line-up:
Brian Bulgac, Jos van Emden, Wilco Kelderman, Steven Kruijswijk, Tom Leezer, Nick van der Lijke, Maarten Tjallingii and Maarten Wynants. 

Sports director:
Erik Dekker.