The final day at the Mallorca Challenge played to the tune of the sprinters, and the only hitch to a textbook stage was the weather as cold temperatures, wind and rain made life miserable for the 168-kilometer race.

There were no last-minute, edge-of-seat antics to the day’s three-man break as the peloton timed the catch to 10 kilometers to go, and all that remained was the sprint teams shouldering their fast men into the best position for the long finish straight.

Trek Factory Racing resorted to plan B in the fast finale: Giacomo Nizzolo, still recuperating lost form to injury, struggled in the frigid weather and the finish was left up to Marco Coledan and Fabian Cancellara to contest.

“It was very, very cold today with the rain and strong wind. It was around six degrees (Celsius) but much colder with the wind chill.  Giacomo did not make it over the climb, I don’t know, it was probably the cold but he is also still finding back his form. It was also a big change from Australia,” said director Adriano Baffi about the miserable conditions the riders faced for the final day of racing.

Matteo Pelucchi (IAM Cycling) proved his first day win was no fluke as he bested André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) and Ben Swift (Sky) to cement his second victory of the season.

In lieu of the usual fast legs of Nizzolo, Fabian Cancellara grabbed the opportunity to assess his sprint, and he notched a respectable 7th place.

“I had good help from Marco [Coledan] and also the other guys. Maybe with a few pedal strokes more I could have made fourth,” joked Fabian Cancellara. “It was not the best sprint for me, but I am not a sprinter and these bunch sprints can be kamikaze. It’s hard to be up there at the end so I am happy with how I did and it gives me confidence.”

Baffi evaluated the team’s performance in the Mallorca Challenge, and despite a lack of a podium he was pleased with what he saw:

“I can say the team was present all race, that was great to see, and Fabian and Marco tried for the sprint. I know that Fabian wanted to get the most out of these races, and it was a good test of his sprint today.

“But okay, we did not have the result we wanted in Mallorca, but I can say that with the way the team raced here these four days I am confident for the future. We showed exceptional teamwork all four days, and it’s a very promising start; I am sure that good things will follow.”

“It was a good four days here,” agreed Cancellara. “It was not planned for me and I can say I know where I am at, and know what I must do, and I am happy with everything. The team did not get a result, but we worked very well together, and I know we gained a lot of confidence together. It was also a pleasure to work with Coledan for the first time."

Yesterday’s race took a toll on the team with Matthew Busche fracturing his scaphoid in his fall, and Fabio Silvestre sustained numerous bumps and bruises from his high-speed tumble.

“We only started with seven today as Matthew fractured his scaphoid in yesterday’s crash.  Fabio Silvestre also sat out today to help his recovery – he went down at 60km/h so he is quite sore,” Baffi explained. “It has been a rough start to the season for us with all the crashes. he added.

Matthew Busche broke the scaphoid bone in his left hand and is scheduled for surgery, which will include a bone transplantation.