A Pidcock exhibition? - 2026 Clásica Jaén preview

Clásica Jaén first began in 2022 with the victory on the day going to Alexey Lutsenko ahead of the Belgian Tim Wellens. In the following years, winners have included Tadej Pogačar, Oier Lazkano, and Michał Kwiatkowski. 

Over the recent editions, the parcours has been cut down in distance, with the first edition containing 187.8 kilometres compared to the 2026 edition, which has 166.7 kilometres.

Going back to Pogacar's 2023 victory, he won with a 36.5-kilometre solo, but it wasn't without a fright as the Slovenian suffered a puncture on a gravel sector.

Clásica Jaén’s 2026 edition commences and finishes in Úbeda, with the riders taking on 166.7 kilometres with a rolling and rugged terrain to deal with, featuring many tricky gravel sectors, steep slopes, and technical descents.

The opening portion of the race shouldn't be all too decisive, with an immediate descent in the opening handful of kilometres. The breakaway fight in this sector could be a fascinating prospect.

54 kilometres is when the first challenge of the day arrives for the peloton, with a significant climb of around 10 kilometres before a quick descent, before the first gravel sector, Vandelvira. 

It remains to be seen whether any attacks could happen on this sector, with the distance only 1.2 kilometres and a gradient of 4.4%, but there is a 9-kilometre descent immediately after the sector, which could entice daring attackers to make a move here.

Two sectors within 10 kilometres follow, with the biggest challenge of the day: Mar De Olivos, a cruel 9.5% average across 5 kilometres, which is almost certainly where we will see some fireworks, with an indication of the riders likely to compete for the race victory. Juancaballo follows with a flat gravel sector.

Santa Eulaia is the 4th gravel sector of the day, and that in itself is a punchy affair coming in at 7.9% for 2.5 kilometres. Riders such as Tom Pidcock and Jan Christen are worth watching in this sector. 

Guadalupe is the 5th and longest sector of the route, coming in at 6.2 kilometres in length, with a rise in the road towards the end of it in Guadalupe. 

After passing that sector, the riders undertake the previously mentioned climbs of Juancaballo, Santa Eulalia, and Gudalupe and the Vandelvira on the local circuit, where the race will conclude with an uphill rise to the finish in Úbeda.

There is no doubt about it, Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) is the out-and-out favourite for the 2026 Clásica Jaén due to his world-class bike handling technique and previous performances on the white roads, which has include a victory and 2nd place at Strade Bianche. 

Clásica Jaén could be considered as Pidcock's 'warm-up' for one of his big goals in the 2026 season in three weeks on the Tuscan roads at Strade Bianche.

Pidcock's shape is also going to be an intriguing proposition to witness, as the Brit is fresh off the back of an altitude camp in Chile, South America, with his Pinarello-Q36.5 team.

Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe brings a strong team to the fray with former UCI Gravel World Champion, Gianni Vermeersch, Maxim Van Gils, Arne Marit and the young guns of Adrien Boichis and Giulio Pellizzari. 

With his gravel background, Vermeersch, who joined Red Bull for the 2026 season from Alpecin, is going to be a key asset for the German team in the race, especially as an experienced figure for their young riders.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG's squad is no slouch, with riders including Jan Christen, Igor Arrieta, Domen Novak, and fresh acquisition Benoit Cosnefroy. Christen heads into the race full of confidence after turning over a page of adversity he experienced during the AlUla Tour to go on and take the overall victory at the last hurdle, and you would assume that Christen is almost definitely going to light the race on fire with one of his 'ciclismo' attacks. 

Other riders to keep an eye on in the Clásica Jaén include Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious), with his strong gravel background credentials and his out-of-this-world technical ability. Victor Vercouillie (Flanders Baloise) is a rider to keep an eye on for the breakaway with a diesel-like engine; he was denied a victory at the Etoile de Bessèges in the last 500 metres of stage one after a mighty day on the break.

Héctor Álvarez announced himself to the cycling world at the Trofeo Calvià, where he took a strong second place. It would not be a surprise to see Álvarez take a top ten finish, riding on the Spanish national team, in the race, as he is also a great technical rider.