Belgian cycling star Remco Evenepoel claimed a record fourth victory at the Clásica San Sebastián on Saturday, outsprinting Richard Carapaz of Ecuador at the finish line of the prestigious Basque one-day race held in San Sebastián, northern Spain. The win, achieved under the colours of his Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe team, makes Evenepoel the sole record holder for victories at this event, surpassing any previous winner.

The race came just one week after the conclusion of the Tour de France, in which Evenepoel finished second overall, while Carapaz claimed the mountains classification. Both men were making their first competitive appearance since the Tour. Britain's Ben Tulett, riding for Visma–Lease a Bike, rounded out the podium in third place.

The road to victory was not entirely smooth for Evenepoel. A mid-race bike change left him stranded among team vehicles behind the peloton, forcing him to work back through the field and reach the top of the Erlaitz climb — one of the race's key ascents — at the back of a fragmented group. However, he rejoined the front runners on the descent, and on the final climb he and Carapaz attacked together, shedding rivals including Italian climber Giulio Ciccone and Frenchman Louis Barré, who had launched several earlier accelerations. In the uphill sprint to the line, Evenepoel proved comfortably the stronger of the two.

The race also marked a sentimental farewell for Dutch veteran Bauke Mollema, a former winner of the Clásica San Sebastián in 2016, who was competing in the race for the last time before retiring at the end of his final professional season. The 39-year-old did not finish.

Evenepoel's fourth win at the Clásica San Sebastián underlines his status as one of the sport's dominant one-day specialists, adding another milestone to a career that has already included Olympic, world championship, and Grand Tour victories. For cycling fans in Belgium, where he is a national icon, the result provides further evidence that his runner-up finish at the Tour has done nothing to diminish his appetite for victory.