Simon Yates will lead Team BikeExchange at the Clásica San Sebastián on Saturday after competing last weekend in the road race at the Tokyo Olympics, where he placed 17th.
The Briton rode the Tour de France in preparation for the Games, but he was forced to abandon the race on stage 13 after crashing on the road to Carcassonne. Yates had previously finished third overall at the Giro d’Italia.
"I am glad to be back racing in Europe after my Tokyo 2020 experience. For me it was an incredible adventure and also sharing it with my brother was a unique opportunity," Yates said in a statement released by his team.
"After the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, an injury and also traveling to and from Tokyo, I am curious to see how my condition will be but my feelings are good at the moment. For sure with the team we will give the best we can for this long and always exciting race."
This will be Yates’ sixth appearance at San Sebastián, where his best finish was 7th in 2016. He will be joined in the BikeExchange line-up by Nick Schultz, Andrey Zeits, Kevin Colleoni, Tsgabu Grmay, Robert Stannard and local rider Mikel Nieve.
"The team we have is strong and the target for us is to be at least on the final podium, but of course we need to see how my legs will react after the intense period I have come from," said Yates.
The Clásica San Sebastián marks a return to competition for a number of BikeExchange riders. Schultz will pin on a number for the first time since he crashed out of the Giro, where he was riding strongly in support of Yates. Nieve is also making his first appearance since placing 25th overall in Italy.
"We have some riders returning racing after injuries and illness with the likes of Nick Schultz and Mikel Nieve. They have worked hard to get back in shape and we believe they can be of added value to this squad," said sport director Julian Dean.
"It is great to also see Andrey Zeits back racing, he has done some really good work to be back at his level after a difficult first part of the season. We have a lot of variety among the riders we have and we believe we can do well in this race."
