Team Dimension Data are back in action for the 36th Clasica San Sebastian taking place in Basque country in Spain on Saturday.
The Dimension Data team will take part in the 36th Clasica San Sebastian. Photo: Supplied
It will be the African team’s debut appearance when they line up in Donostia for the 220km classic.
The team had a successful 2016 Tour de France campaign and will now take on this single-day World Tour event.
The Clasica San Sebastian is a prestigious race that has gained much popularity in recent years, being the first World Tour event to take place after the Tour.
Some riders from the Tour de France will look to carry their form into San Sebastian, with Serge Pauwels leading the African team’s challenge.
Pauwels showed his climbing prowess in the tough mountain stages of the Tour de France, most notably with a second place finish on Mont Ventoux.
With the Clasica San Sebastian taking in six classified climbs, five of them in the last half of the race, a punchy climber can be expected to lead the way on Saturday.
Igor Anton is another rider from the team who will be looking to perform well.
With the race taking place on many of his known training grounds, Anton will have extra motivation racing in front of his home crowd.
Kanstantsin Siutsou, Nathan Haas, Jacques Janse van Rensburg, Merhawi Kudus, Adrien Niyonshuti and Songezo Jim will complete the eight-rider line-up.
“Clasica San Sebastian is a famous and respected event which we are thrilled to be participating in for the first time. We have an ambitious team taking to the start of the 36th Clasica and we will aim for a top result,” said sport director Jens Zemke.
