The 40th edition of the Spanish hill race takes the riders over seven climbs. The start is in Donostia and the finish is in the same place in the Spanish Basque Country after 223.5 km of racing. Hofstede is looking forward to this year’s edition. “I feel good. I returned a few days ago from an altitude training. We were able to train well with a number of guys. I don’t have any physical problems from my crash, two months ago. I think my race condition is also fine. I’m ready to race.”

“In retrospect, I am very happy that my rehabilitation went smoothly”, a cheerful Hofstede said. “Not even a week later I was back on my bike at home. Yet another week later I was already able to train outside. I watched hours of TV and followed the team’s performance in the Tour de France. It is not extra difficult for me to follow the race when I am in the hospital. It only gives me more energy to work on my recovery.”

It is not the first time Hofstede is at the start of the Spanish classic. “It’s been a while since I last rode this race. What I remember from my last participation is that the area appealed to me at the time. I like racing in the Basque Country. Spain is one of my favourite cycling countries anyway. I’m also trying to get the hang of the language.”

Goals
Hofstede is clear about the goals for next Saturday. “If Jonas Vingegaard approaches his Tour form at all, he will be the absolute leader. I think we have a strong team at the start. The organization decided to add an extra climb to the course this year, one we know from the Tour of the Basque Country. It’s up to me to make sure the strong riders in our team will not lack anything coming Saturday.”

Vuelta
After the Clásica San Sebastián, Hofstede will head to the Vuelta a España. The rider from the Dutch town of Poeldijk has good memories of the last two editions. “With Primoz Roglic we won the final classification twice. That gives a rider like me a lot of satisfaction. Partly because of that, I am looking forward to the Vuelta a España, which will start in a few weeks. But first of all, the focus is on the race in the Basque Country this weekend.”

Heistse Pijl
On the same day as Clásica San Sebastián, Belgium will host the Heistse Pijl. The Belgian race will take the riders from Vosselaar to Heist op den Berg over 192.5 km. The black and yellow formation is built around Dylan Groenewegen, who won two stages in the Tour of Wallonia last week. Dutch champion Timo Roosen is also at the start.