Description
January 26, 2017
Challenge de Mallorca 2018 – Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana – Sóller-Deià – 140,1 km
The Challenge Vuelta Ciclista a Mallorca (English: Tour of Majorca, Catalan: Challenge Volta Ciclista a Mallorca) is a series of five professional one day road bicycle races held on the Spanish island of Mallorca in early February.
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Challenge de Mallorca 2018 – Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana – Sóller-Deià – 140,1 km
January 26, 2017
Challenge de Mallorca 2018 – Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana – Sóller-Deià – 140,1 km
The Challenge Vuelta Ciclista a Mallorca (English: Tour of Majorca, Catalan: Challenge Volta Ciclista a Mallorca) is a series of five professional one day road bicycle races held on the Spanish island of Mallorca in early February. The event is used as an early season preparatory event by many of the top teams in readiness for the bigger races later in the season. The five races are ranked 1.1 on the UCI Europe Tour.
Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) won day two of the Challenge Mallorca, beating Gianni Moscon (Team Sky) in a sprint to the line after a short climb up to the finish in Deia.
Wellens always performs well in the rain and he made sure he was part of a quality five-rider break that decided the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana, joining Moscon, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Gregor Mühlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Gianluca Brambilla (Trek-Segafredo) in the decisive move.
Valverde was riding in only his second race since suffering a broken kneecap and talus bone in a crash on the opening day of the 2017 Tour de France, and the Spaniard was especially aggressive in the finale of the hilly 139km race. He paid for those efforts on the climb to Deia, however, and finished third, a few seconds behind Wellens. Brambilla was fourth on his debut with Trek-Segafredo, while Mühlberger placed fifth.
It was Wellens’ second consecutive win in the Trofeo Serra Tramuntana, despite hinting beforehand that he had planned a more gradual start to his 2018 season. The 26-year-old Belgian ended his 2017 campaign late in October, winning the Tour of Guangxi WorldTour race. He recently questioned the need for salbutamol inhalers in races, suggesting they can give a performance boost.
The Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana is the second of the four races that make up the Challenge Mallorca and is arguably the hardest. The 139km route starts in Soller and covers a hilly, twisting figure of eight route in the north of the Balearic island.
Despite rain and wet roads, the race started quickly, but attacks were chased down and kept under control until the 45km mark.
Sondre Holst Enger (Israel Cycling Academy) finished second behind John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) in the flat opening race on Thursday, but was not afraid to try again on different terrain. He blasted clear alone and opened a gap of four minutes, holding off an initial chase by Sindre Skjøstad Lunke (Fortuneo-Samsic), Jordi Simon (Burgos-BH) and Elmar Reinders (Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij).
A 30-strong peloton took up the chase as the serious climbs in the final 30km approached, with Movistar pulling back time on Enger to set up Valverde, despite Rojas, Roson and Amador crashing. Enger cracked at the start of the Sa Batalla climb and the race exploded with Valverde, Wellens, Moscon, Brambilla and Mühlberger going clear. Mühlberger, the 23-year-old Austrian champion, was perhaps the surprise in the quality attack, but his win at the 2017 Rund um Koln race indicated his potential.
Valverde was especially aggressive on the Sa Batalla and subsequent Puig Major climbs that overlook Soller, but the others eventually closed him down on the descent to Soller before the decisive final 10km of racing inland to Deia.
Moscon, Wellens and Brambilla managed to distance Valverde and Mühlberger as they approached the Coll d’en Bleda towards the finish, but the two got back on and Valverde even tried an attack. Wellens had raced intelligently, however, and was strong for the finale. He chased down Valverde and pushed on to the finish, holding off Moscon on the twisting road to raise his arms in celebration at the line.
The four-day Challenge Mallorca race series continues during the weekend, with teams allowed to select different line-ups for each event.
Results :
1 Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Soudal 3:45:52
2 Gianni Moscon (Ita) Team Sky
3 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:24
4 Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:27
5 Gregor Mühlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:37
6 Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:05:06
7 Michael Gogl (Aut) Trek-Segafredo
8 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
9 Pim Ligthart (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij
10 Felix Grossschartner (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe
11 Tsgabu Grmay (Eth) Trek-Segafredo
12 Elmar Reinders (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij 0:05:47
13 Franck Bonnamour (Fra) Fortuneo-Oscaro
14 Thomas Sprengers (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
15 Jordi Warlop (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
16 Daniel Turek (Cze) Israel Cycling Academy
17 Hector Saez Benito (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
18 Michal Golas (Pol) Team Sky 0:06:37
19 Philip Deignan (Irl) Team Sky
20 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Lotto Soudal
21 Tomasz Marczynski (Pol) Lotto Soudal 0:08:01
22 Mikel Bizkarra Etxegibel (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias 0:09:21
23 Antonio Molina Canet (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA 0:10:53
24 Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
25 Cristian Rodriguez Martin (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
26 Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
27 Jesus Rubio (Spa) Spain
28 Ibai Azurmendi Sagastibeltza (Spa) Team Euskadi
29 Raul Colombo (Ita) Biesse Carrera Gavardo
30 Juan Antonio Lopez-Cozar Jaimez (Spa) Team Euskadi
31 Gotzon Martin Sanz (Spa) Team Euskadi
32 Txomin Juaristi Arrieta (Spa) Team Euskadi
33 Kevin Deltombe (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
34 Toms Skujins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo
35 José Rojas (Spa) Movistar Team
36 Nicola Conci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
37 Julien Mortier (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
38 Sindre Skjøstad Lunke (Nor) Fortuneo-Oscaro
39 Dimitri Peyskens (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
40 Alberto Amici (Ita) Biesse Carrera Gavardo
41 Andrey Amador (CRc) Movistar Team
42 Jose Manuel Diaz (Spa) Israel Cycling Academy
43 Eliot Lietaer (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
44 Awet Andemeskel (Eri) Israel Cycling Academy
45 Jorge Arcas (Spa) Movistar Team
46 Sergio Samitier Samitier (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
47 Imanol Erviti (Spa) Movistar Team
48 Dylan van Baarle (Ned) Team Sky
49 Leonardo Basso (Ita) Team Sky
50 Guy Niv (Isr) Israel Cycling Academy
51 Garikoitz Bravo Oiarbide (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
52 Aleksejs Saramotins (Lat) Bora-Hansgrohe
53 Ruben Plaza (Spa) Israel Cycling Academy
54 Ian Stannard (GBr) Team Sky 0:12:02
55 Albert Torres Barcelo (Spa) Inteja Dominican 0:16:45
56 Benoit Jarrier (Fra) Fortuneo-Oscaro 0:19:27
57 Antoine Warnier (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
58 Beñat Txoperena Matxikote (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
59 Brian van Goethem (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij
60 Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:19:48
61 Remy Mertz (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:19:52
62 Sander Armee (Bel) Lotto Soudal
63 Elie Gesbert (Fra) Fortuneo-Oscaro
 is a series of five professional one day road bicycle races held on the Spanish island of Mallorca in early February. The event is used as an early season preparatory event by many of the top teams in readiness for the bigger races later in the season. The five races are ranked 1.1 on the UCI Europe Tour.
Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) won day two of the Challenge Mallorca, beating Gianni Moscon (Team Sky) in a sprint to the line after a short climb up to the finish in Deia.
Wellens always performs well in the rain and he made sure he was part of a quality five-rider break that decided the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana, joining Moscon, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Gregor Mühlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Gianluca Brambilla (Trek-Segafredo) in the decisive move.
Valverde was riding in only his second race since suffering a broken kneecap and talus bone in a crash on the opening day of the 2017 Tour de France, and the Spaniard was especially aggressive in the finale of the hilly 139km race. He paid for those efforts on the climb to Deia, however, and finished third, a few seconds behind Wellens. Brambilla was fourth on his debut with Trek-Segafredo, while Mühlberger placed fifth.
It was Wellens’ second consecutive win in the Trofeo Serra Tramuntana, despite hinting beforehand that he had planned a more gradual start to his 2018 season. The 26-year-old Belgian ended his 2017 campaign late in October, winning the Tour of Guangxi WorldTour race. He recently questioned the need for salbutamol inhalers in races, suggesting they can give a performance boost.
The Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana is the second of the four races that make up the Challenge Mallorca and is arguably the hardest. The 139km route starts in Soller and covers a hilly, twisting figure of eight route in the north of the Balearic island.
Despite rain and wet roads, the race started quickly, but attacks were chased down and kept under control until the 45km mark.
Sondre Holst Enger (Israel Cycling Academy) finished second behind John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) in the flat opening race on Thursday, but was not afraid to try again on different terrain. He blasted clear alone and opened a gap of four minutes, holding off an initial chase by Sindre Skjøstad Lunke (Fortuneo-Samsic), Jordi Simon (Burgos-BH) and Elmar Reinders (Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij).
A 30-strong peloton took up the chase as the serious climbs in the final 30km approached, with Movistar pulling back time on Enger to set up Valverde, despite Rojas, Roson and Amador crashing. Enger cracked at the start of the Sa Batalla climb and the race exploded with Valverde, Wellens, Moscon, Brambilla and Mühlberger going clear. Mühlberger, the 23-year-old Austrian champion, was perhaps the surprise in the quality attack, but his win at the 2017 Rund um Koln race indicated his potential.
Valverde was especially aggressive on the Sa Batalla and subsequent Puig Major climbs that overlook Soller, but the others eventually closed him down on the descent to Soller before the decisive final 10km of racing inland to Deia.
Moscon, Wellens and Brambilla managed to distance Valverde and Mühlberger as they approached the Coll d’en Bleda towards the finish, but the two got back on and Valverde even tried an attack. Wellens had raced intelligently, however, and was strong for the finale. He chased down Valverde and pushed on to the finish, holding off Moscon on the twisting road to raise his arms in celebration at the line.
The four-day Challenge Mallorca race series continues during the weekend, with teams allowed to select different line-ups for each event.
<strong>Results : </strong>
1 Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Soudal 3:45:52
2 Gianni Moscon (Ita) Team Sky
3 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:24
4 Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:27
5 Gregor Mühlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:37
6 Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:05:06
7 Michael Gogl (Aut) Trek-Segafredo
8 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
9 Pim Ligthart (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij
10 Felix Grossschartner (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe
11 Tsgabu Grmay (Eth) Trek-Segafredo
12 Elmar Reinders (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij 0:05:47
13 Franck Bonnamour (Fra) Fortuneo-Oscaro
14 Thomas Sprengers (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
15 Jordi Warlop (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
16 Daniel Turek (Cze) Israel Cycling Academy
17 Hector Saez Benito (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
18 Michal Golas (Pol) Team Sky 0:06:37
19 Philip Deignan (Irl) Team Sky
20 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Lotto Soudal
21 Tomasz Marczynski (Pol) Lotto Soudal 0:08:01
22 Mikel Bizkarra Etxegibel (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias 0:09:21
23 Antonio Molina Canet (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA 0:10:53
24 Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
25 Cristian Rodriguez Martin (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
26 Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
27 Jesus Rubio (Spa) Spain
28 Ibai Azurmendi Sagastibeltza (Spa) Team Euskadi
29 Raul Colombo (Ita) Biesse Carrera Gavardo
30 Juan Antonio Lopez-Cozar Jaimez (Spa) Team Euskadi
31 Gotzon Martin Sanz (Spa) Team Euskadi
32 Txomin Juaristi Arrieta (Spa) Team Euskadi
33 Kevin Deltombe (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
34 Toms Skujins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo
35 José Rojas (Spa) Movistar Team
36 Nicola Conci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
37 Julien Mortier (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
38 Sindre Skjøstad Lunke (Nor) Fortuneo-Oscaro
39 Dimitri Peyskens (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
40 Alberto Amici (Ita) Biesse Carrera Gavardo
41 Andrey Amador (CRc) Movistar Team
42 Jose Manuel Diaz (Spa) Israel Cycling Academy
43 Eliot Lietaer (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
44 Awet Andemeskel (Eri) Israel Cycling Academy
45 Jorge Arcas (Spa) Movistar Team
46 Sergio Samitier Samitier (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
47 Imanol Erviti (Spa) Movistar Team
48 Dylan van Baarle (Ned) Team Sky
49 Leonardo Basso (Ita) Team Sky
50 Guy Niv (Isr) Israel Cycling Academy
51 Garikoitz Bravo Oiarbide (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
52 Aleksejs Saramotins (Lat) Bora-Hansgrohe
53 Ruben Plaza (Spa) Israel Cycling Academy
54 Ian Stannard (GBr) Team Sky 0:12:02
55 Albert Torres Barcelo (Spa) Inteja Dominican 0:16:45
56 Benoit Jarrier (Fra) Fortuneo-Oscaro 0:19:27
57 Antoine Warnier (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
58 Beñat Txoperena Matxikote (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
59 Brian van Goethem (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij
60 Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:19:48
61 Remy Mertz (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:19:52
62 Sander Armee (Bel) Lotto Soudal
63 Elie Gesbert (Fra) Fortuneo-Oscaro)
