A men’s and women’s race will be held, with the latter running for the first time in 2019 when Australian Lucy Kennedy of Team Mitchelton-Scott, which is now Team BikeExchange, won by 23 seconds.

The men’s race was won by Belgian teenager Remco Evenepoel of Deceuninck-Quick-Step.

The Donostia San Sebastián Klasikoa first ran in 1981, and starts and finishes in the Basque city of San Sebastián.

The men’s race is over 223.5-kilometres, with the women’s race over 139.5km.

Both races feature a series of difficult climbs, including the category two Alto de Jaizkibel, and Alto de Murgil just before the finish.

Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe, riding for Deceuninck-Quick-Step, headlines the men’s field.

He won the one-day race in 2018, and triumphed in the first stage of the Tour de France in June - a sixth career stage win for the 29-year-old.

Alaphilippe is also the reigning International Cycling Union (UCI) World road champion.

Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma should push Alaphilippe hard, having finished second in the general classification at the Tour de France earlier this month, a finish he matched in April’s Tour of the Basque Country,

Colombia’s 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal of Ineos Grenadiers will also aim to build on topping the general classification at the Giro d’Italia in May.

Team mate Adam Yates won the Klasikoa in 2015, while his twin brother Simon Yates of Team BikeExchange is also involved having finished third overall at the Giro d’Italia.

Dutchman Bauke Mollema of Trek-Segafredo won the race in 2016, and is the highest ranking competitor from the Olympic road race to be taking part, having finished fourth in Tokyo.

Spaniard Luis León Sánchez of Astana-Premier Tech is another former winner in San Sebastián taking part, triumphing in 2010 and 2012.

Hopes are high for Spanish teenager Juan Ayuson of UAE Team Emirates, riding this race for the first time.

A number of high-profile racers will be absent having recently competed in the Tour de France and at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, including reigning champion Evenepoel, Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar and Olympic road race gold medallist Richard Carapaz.

Twenty-five teams are set to be represented by 247 cyclists in the men’s race.

The women’s race was moved to its end of July date back in March, a change from the original UCI Women’s WorldTour schedule which had the Itzulia Basque Country running from May 14 to 16.

Defending champion Kennedy will seek to keep hold of her title, although this will be her first race since suffering nasty fractures to her hand, collarbone and eye socket at the Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April.

Movistar Team’s Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten, who within the last week claimed gold in the women’s road time trial and silver in the women’s road race at Tokyo 2020, will also be aiming for victory, although she has had a very quick turnaround from her time trial victory in the Japanese capital on Wednesday (July 28).

Van Vleuten has 10 career wins on the UCI Women’s Tour - the most of any competitor.

Her compatriot and team mate Janneke Ensing finished second in the Klasikoa in 2019.

Liv Racing’s Pauliena Rooijakkers, also of The Netherlands, finished third last time the event was held.

Russian Anastasiia Chursina of Alé BTC Ljubljana was a further place behind in fourth in 2019.

Ellen van Dijk, riding for Trek-Segafredo, adds to a strong Dutch presence.

She claimed bronze in the time trial at the 2020 UCI Road World Championships.

Among the absentees are The Netherlands’ Anna van der Breggen of SD Worx, the UCI road world champion in the road race and time trial who secured bronze in the women’s time trial at Tokyo 2020, Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser of Alé BTC Ljubljana, a silver medallist in the same event at the Olympics, and Austria’s Olympic gold medallist in the road race Anna Kiesenhofer of Lotto-Soudal Ladies.

The women’s race is set to feature 176 cyclists across 18 teams.