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2026 Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior
(1.1), Spain

5th edition: Monday, February 16, 2026

James Witherell's book Bicycle History: A Chronological History of People, Races and Technology is available in both print and Kindle eBook formats. To get your copy just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the start/finish city of Ubeda at 2:00 PM, local time: 9C (48F), cloudy, with the wind from the west at 21 km/hr (13 mph). There is just a 2% chance of rain.

The race: Here's the report from winner Tim Wellens' UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

Tim Wellens produced one of the standout performances of the early season today, riding a bold long-range attack to victory at the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. The Belgian champion held off a fierce chase behind to cross the line ahead of Tom Pidcock (Q.36.5) and secure a memorable solo win on one of Spain’s most challenging early season one-day races.

The race gets its official start. Sirotti photo

Covering 154 km around the historic town of Úbeda – shortened slightly this year due to severe weather but still featuring several sectors of gravel and rolling terrain – the race provided a unique blend of gravel, punchy climbs, and tactical complexity that tested all contenders.

Racing on one of the gravel sectors. Sirotti photo

Wellens cracked the race open with a decisive attack around 54 km from the finish, riding away with Mark Donovan (Q.36.5) before ultimately leaving the Briton behind in the gravel sections. He built a lead of more than one minute over the chasers, navigating technical off-road sectors and narrow olive grove roads with strength and precision. Despite sustained pressure behind – including a fierce pursuit led by Pidcock – Wellens’s advantage proved insurmountable.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG enjoyed further success with Benoît Cosnefroy riding a powerful race to finish third.

Today’s result was initially set to have Jan Christen on the podium alongside Wellens and Pidcock. However, following a race incident – under review by the commissaires – his result has been disqualified from the official classification, and the podium adjusted accordingly.

The podium, from left: Tom Pidcock (2nd), Tim Wellens (1st), & Benoît Cosnefroy (3rd). Sirotti photo

Tim Wellens: “I think the tactic was clear from the beginning since we were here with a very strong team. The idea was to always try to have somebody in the front so that the other riders could stay in the back and cover the moves a bit. I went quite early. I had to suffer a lot to drop Mr.Donovan who pushed me hard but I had very good legs. I kept my own tempo and followed my watts but in the end had a really good feeling. I paced myself well, I nearly had a crash but in the end I was very lucky to save it and feel very happy with the win.”

Another shot of the finish where winner Tim Wellens has left everyone else far behind.

Complete results:

154.2 kilometers raced at an average speed of 44.159 km/hr

2026 Clasica Jaén Paraíso Interior map & profile

2026 Clasica Jaén Paraíso Interior map

2026 Clasica Jaén Paraíso Interior profile

Start list with back numbers, Febraury 15, 2026: