Challenge de Mallorca 2018 (4-Trofeo Playa de Palma-Palma) – [Highlights] (spanish)

January 28, 2017
Challenge de Mallorca 2018 – Trofeo Trofeo Playa de Palma-Palma – Trofeo Playa de Palma-Palma – 159,6 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.

John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) sprinted to victory in the Trofeo Palma on Sunday to make it two wins from two at the Challenge Mallorca series and a perfect start to the 2018 season.

The German, who had triumphed on Thursday in the Trofeo Campos-Porreres-Felanitx-Ses Salines, was again convincing winner in a bunch sprint in Palma, where Erik Baska (Bora-Hansgrohe) finished second and Coen Vermeltfoort (Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij) third.

Degenkolb chose to sit out Friday and Saturday’s hillier outings at the Mallorca Challenge and therefore has two victories from the two races he’s started this year. For the Trek-Segafredo team as a whole it has been a successful week and start to the season, with new signing Toms Skujins winning on Saturday to ensure they leave with three of the four ‘Trofeos’ in the bag.

“I am so happy. I think it’s the first time I have won the first two races in a season, that’s a first for me,” said Degenkolb. “To have this feeling, which I missed so much last year and now I have it already twice… It’s so nice to be in the winning line again.”

The team certainly oozed confidence as they took responsibility in the peloton to set up Degenkolb’s victory. The 160km route, starting and finishing in Palma, was always likely to culminate in a sprint, with just one categorised climb on the menu – the Coll de sa Creu after 120km.

It might have spelled danger for Degenkolb as he punctured on the approach, but he was able to get back in without any issues. The peloton then split shortly after the descent but Degenkolb and Trek were safely in the first group for the finishing lap and, despite Lotto Soudal showing their intentions for Moreno Hofland, they made no mistake.

The day had begun with an early breakaway containing Fabricio Ferrari (Caja Rural), Ibai Salas (Burgos-BH), Enrico Logica (Biesse-Carrera-Gavardo), Txomin Juaristi (Fundación Euskadi), Viktor Filutas (Pannon), and Julio Amores (Spain). They quickly established a led of more than five minutes but it wasn’t long before Trek-Segafredo and Lotto Soudal set about reducing the deficit, bringing it down to just 2:30 after 45km of racing.

With the gap just over a minute, the peloton split briefly after 70km but once calm was restored the escapees were allowed to build their advantage once again. The climb, however, spelled curtains. Logica and Filutas were the first to go, and the race was back together over the summit.

Ferrari had claimed both intermediate sprints and Juaristi the KOM, but the day belonged to Degenkolb.

“We showed again we were the strongest team in the race,” said the German. “In the leadout, we picked the right moment to come to the front, and I only had to do the last 200 meters, so that was for me super nice and I am so happy. This victory is definitely a team victory – for all of us. We took the responsibility and we got the reward for it.”

Results :

1 John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo 3:47:29
2 Erik Baska (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
3 Coen Vermeltfoort (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij
4 Enrique Sanz Unzue (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
5 Carlos Barbero (Spa) Movistar Team
6 Albert Torres Barcelo (Spa) Inteja Dominican
7 Jordi Warlop (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
8 José Rojas (Spa) Movistar Team
9 Leonardo Basso (Ita) Team Sky
10 Xavier Canellas (Spa) Spain
11 Jesus Ezquerra Muela (Spa) Burgos BH
12 Kevyn Ista (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
13 Romain Le Roux (Fra) Team Fortuneo-Samsic
14 Benjamin Declercq (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
15 Jon Ander Insausti (Spa) Team Eusadi
16 Gonzalo Serrano Rodriguez (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
17 Eduard Prades Reverter (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
18 Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto Soudal
19 Michal Golas (Pol) Team Sky
20 Hector Saez Benito (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
21 Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
22 Imanol Erviti (Spa) Movistar Team
23 Garikoitz Bravo Oiarbide (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
24 Elmar Reinders (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij
25 Gatzon Martin (Spa) Team Euskadi
26 Awet Andemeskel (Eri) Israel Cycling Academy
27 Fabricio Ferrari (Urg) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
28 Ibai Salas Zorrozua (Spa) Burgos BH
29 Lukas Pöstlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:04
30 Nicolas Sessler (Bra) Burgos BH
31 Dimitri Peyskens (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
32 Igor Merino Kortazar (Spa) Burgos BH
33 Philip Deignan (Irl) Team Sky
34 Jaime Roson (Spa) Movistar Team
35 Pim Ligthart (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij 0:00:10
36 Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:12
37 Gianni Moscon (Ita) Team Sky 0:00:16
38 Boy van Poppel (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
39 Kiel Reijnen (USA) Trek-Segafredo
40 Markel Irizar (Spa) Trek-Segafredo
41 Moreno Hofland (Ned) Lotto Soudal
42 Rafael Valls Ferri (Spa) Movistar Team
43 Lawrence Naesen (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:00:22
44 Michael Schwarzmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:26
45 Thomas Sprengers (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise 0:00:34
46 Brian van Goethem (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij
47 Cesare Benedetti (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:38
48 Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:00:40
49 Frederik Frison (Bel) Lotto Soudal
50 Txomin Juaristi (Spa) Team Euskadi
51 Eliot Lietaer (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
52 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:51
53 Juraj Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
54 Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:00:53
55 Raul Colombo (Ita) Biesse Carrera Gavardo 0:04:59
56 Julien Mortier (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
57 Kenny Dehaes (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
58 Alberto Amici (Ita) Biesse Carrera Gavardo
59 Enrico Salvador (Ita) Biesse Carrera Gavardo
60 Gregory Rast (Swi) Trek-Segafredo
61 Ian Stannard (GBr) Team Sky
62 Sebastian Mora (Spa) Spain
63 Peio Goikoetxea (Spa) Team Euskadi
64 Dennis van Winden (Ned) Israel Cycling Academy
65 Dylan van Baarle (Ned) Team Sky
66 Julio A Amores (Spa) Spain
67 Ibai Azurmendi (Spa) Team Euskadi
68 Nelson Andres Soto Martinez (Col) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
69 Daniel Lopez Parada (Spa) Burgos BH
70 Kenny Elissonde (Fra) Team Sky
71 Cristian Rodriguez Martin (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
72 Danilo Celano (Ita) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
73 Aitor Gonzalez Prieto (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
74 Pierre Luc Perichon (Fra) Fortuneo-Oscaro
75 Franck Bonnamour (Fra) Fortuneo-Oscaro
76 Benoit Jarrier (Fra) Fortuneo-Oscaro
77 Bram Welten (Ned) Fortuneo-Oscaro
78 Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
79 Aaron Verwilst (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
80 Luca Felix Happke (Ger) Team Sauerland NRW PB SK 0:06:06
81 Aaron Grosser (Ger) Team Sauerland NRW PB SK
82 Péter Simon (Hun) Pannon Cycling Team
83 Per Chris Munstermann (Ger) Team Suderland NRW PB SK
84 Thomas Deruette (Bel) WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic
85 Adrian Gonzalez Velasco (Spa) Burgos BH
86 Ricardo Garcia (Spa) Team Euskadi
87 Jon Knolle (Ger) Team Sauderland NRW PB SK
88 Nicolo Gozzi (Ita) Biesse Carrera Gavardo
89 Maxime Daniel (Fra) Fortuneo-Oscaro
90 Lorenzo Delcó (Swi) Biesse Carrera Gavardo
91 Aleksejs Saramotins (Lat) Bora-Hansgrohe
92 Jesper Asselman (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij
93 Dániel Dina (Hun) Pannon Cycling Team
94 Daniel Turek (Cze) Israel Cycling Academy
95 Sondre Enger (Nor) Israel Cycling Academy
96 Christophe Noppe (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
97 Emiel Planckaert (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
98 Vicente Garcia (Spa) Spain
99 Miguel A Benito Diaz (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
100 Wouter Wippert (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij 0:07:14
101 Felix Intra (Ger) Team Sauderland NRW PB SK 0:11:31
102 Botond Hollo (Hun) Pannon Cycling Team 0:12:16
103 Viktor Filutas (Hun) Pannon Cycling Team
104 Miklos Szabo (Slo) Pannon Cycling Team
105 Antonio Molina Canet (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA 0:13:42
106 Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
107 Rafael Reis (Por) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
108 Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA 0:13:44
109 Nick van der Lijke (Ned) Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij 0:14:46
110 Illart Zuazubiskar (Spa) Spain 0:15:21
111 Gergo Orosz (Hun) Pannon Cycling Team
112 Pablo Torres Muiño (Spa) Burgos BH 0:16:11
113 Márk Zathureczky (Hun) Pannon Cycling Team 0:16:40