On the third day of the Mallorca Challenge, the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana was raced. As yesterday, the climbing specialists had an opportunity to shine. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) decided the race after a solo ride with a huge lead. It took another two minutes before the first chasers crossed the finish line: Tim Wellens (Lotto – Belisol) and Leopold König (Sky). The BORA – ARGON 18 riders finished the race with the first big chasing group. Christoph Pfingsten was 20th.

The race today was overshadowed by an early crash of Cesare Benedetti. The Italian crashed after two kilometers when he went off-road. Information about possible injuries are not yet available. 

“Given the many climbs, the race today was slightly more difficult than yesterday’s race. The guys did a good job. Everybody races on a solid level here. We had four riders in the first chasing group. Considering that all our riders started here directly after an intense training block, everything went according to our plan. One can expect a positive trend for the upcoming weeks”, Sports Director Enrico Poitschke said after the race.

Tomorrow, the Trofeo Playa de Palma-Palma is the final race of this year Mallorca Challenge. Over 168 kilometers the race’s profile only includes one climb, the Coll des Grau, which must be passed shortly before the peloton enters the city of Palma. In the capital of the Balearic Island, the riders finally complete a circuit of twelve kilometers three times. Since a bunch sprint is very likely, the sprinters of BORA – ARGON 18 will line-up again.