Dmitriy Sedoun (sports director Astana whose best rider was Francesco Gavazzi in 5th)

“In a crash on one of the descents in a little bit of wet road, (Tanel) Kangert scraped his chin, got scared is all. (Mikel) Landa rode well in the break all day long – and after the final climb we still had five riders for the finish – (Aleksey) Lutsenko cramped in the sprint, Gavazzi got in as close as he could.

“Now we train a couple more days on Mallorca and then split up – some to Andalusia, some to another camp in Tenerife – most here are going to Malaysia to do Langkawi – we have a lot of people on a lot of programs.”

Mario Aerts (sports director Lotto Belisol whose best rider was Tim Wellens in 31st)

"After the first stage, the Trofeo Palma, we were disillusioned. (Jens) Debusschere came very close to the victory. The next day Jens unfortunately got hindered in the sprint and couldn't play any role. We are moderately satisfied. It's encouraging that Jurgen Van den Broeck rides well and was part of the break today, he says it himself. Tim Wellens also rode well, after his knee problems and the surgery he had for it in the beginning of the winter. That are positive points. Everybody's condition is well."
 

Sergei Chernetskii (Katusha, 8th s.t.)

“After Dubai Tour I felt that I needed some mountain races to check my climbing form. So here in Mallorca I wanted to see where I am at this moment of the season. It was a good race for me, but maybe not hard enough to give me answers to everything. I am satisfied with the result and with how my condition is progressing. The Volta ao Algarve will be my next race, where I hope I will be on a good level in the mountains."

Uwe Peschel (sports director Katusha whose best rider was Sergei Chernetskii in 8th)

“We lost Alberto Losada after a crash in the descent of climb number 3, the Coll de Sóller, fortunately without major injuries. After a long breakaway of 14 riders was caught, we went into the last 20 km with a group of 45 riders, including four of us. When that group split into two parts with 15 km to go, we were still there with Sergei Chernetckii, Simon Spilak and Alexander Kolobnev. Spilak worked hard for the two others to bring them to the front and keep them there. In the end they finished 8th and 13th. It was a good result.”

Marcello Albasini (sports director IAM whose best rider was Reto Hollenstein in 32nd)

“We’re on schedule.  I have no worries about the team. I am happy with the guys and I saw some good things happen in Mallorca.

“This is a good race, and a course that makes it easy to verify the condition of the riders.  With one day raced over an open course, without any real climbs, but with strong winds like we’ll find later in Belgium, and then two other days with climbs ranging around 15 to 16 kilometers long, it is a very good opportunity.  All that’s missing is a time trial.  I could see that our guys work well together.  There is still work to do, though.  They still lack a little confidence to implement moves that should be second nature.  But with Reynes and Kluge we have what it takes.

“There is stiff competition here.  But I am very pleased with the progress of our guys who have been injured (Kluge and Lang), and am happy with the work done by Fumeaux, Schelling, Hollenstein.  As for Frank and Löfkvist, they showed their strength at the important moments, even if they are not yet near the top of their form.”

Amets Txurruka (Caja Rural, part of the early break, 35th +3.01)

"[I felt] better. It was a tough day with a lot of fight to join the early break. The team was very good and although I was the one to finally make it, it was based on great collective work. After seeing that our advantage was not big enough, I fought for the secondary classifications and I reached my objective. The team has again proved that it is good. I keep working to find my best form."

Jaime Garzon (sports director Caja Rural whose best rider was Amets Txurruka in 35th)

"The objective was to try to win the stage with (Davide) Vigano but that didn't succeed. He could not keep up with the pace set by Sky but as these are early races there is more to come and he will be a great dup with (Francesco) Lasca. The other objective was to win the mountains classification with Amets and we achieved this. He was in the day's break which had a very high level. The balance is very positive. We have achieved some significant results as we have been in the break each day and achieved high rankings and wins. Especially, we have showed the values that represent our sponsors: work, enthusiasm and perseverance in achieving objectives."

Vasili Davidenko (manager Team Novo Nordisk whose best rider was Javier Megias in 76th)

“The team showed some big improvements. Our guys raced intelligently and wisely and bonded as a team.

“On the first two stages, (Andrea) Peron showed his ability and quality as a sprinter. He got strong help from the entire team, especially Martijn Verschoor, who helped get Peron into the right position, and Thomas Raeymaekers. Peron showed his form is growing, and I am confident we’ll see some good results in the near future.

“Tuesday was Megias’ turn, and he did an excellent job. He was in the breakaway seven minutes ahead of the peloton. When another escapee attacked, only Megias was able to keep his tempo and collaborate with him. Megias got caught just inside the final kilometer. What a great performance!

“It was the first time we’ve seen our neo pros (Charles) Planet and (Nicolas) Lefrançois race, and these two guys showed some solid abilities to race at the top level with the best riders in the world. No question about it, they will bring us great moments very soon."

Speaking about the Ruta del Sol: “We have high ambitions. This is going to be the first big event for the team on European soil in 2014.”

Enrico Poitschke (sports director NetApp-Endura whose best rider was Tiago Machado in 34th)

“With its four climbs, today’s stage was again relatively difficult. Our aim was to be part of a large leading group straight away for the first climb. Everyone tried to do this and, as such, the tactical plan was implemented very well. Tiago ultimately managed to make it into the group, rode a good race and was able with his interim classifications to secure the combination classification.

“Over the last 15 kilometers cross wind caused an echelon. At this point, David (de la Cruz) and Tiago were unfortunately at the back of the group and lost contact with the leaders. Without this mistake they would have finished the race in the leading group.

“We draw an optimistic conclusion from the Mallorca Challenge. We saw that all our riders were in good shape and can now go into the next races in a positive frame of mind. We are both ambitious and motivated for the Tour of Algarve. With Tiago and Jose (Mendes) as local heroes, our aim is to achieve a good result. For the Tour of Oman, we have got David and Leo (König) for the overall classification. I am confident that we will see improved performances and results in the next races."

Jesus Ezquerra (ActiveJet, 48th +9.30)

"All day I felt good. The pace on the climb was very fast but not crazy. On the last ascent, I was in the front group but in the descent I was held back by two riders who crashed in front of me and unfortunately I lost contact. Bad luck. If it had not been for this incident, I would certainly have come back to the front and have had a chance for a good result."

Piotr Kosmala (sports director ActiveJet whose best rider was Jesus Ezquerra in 48th)

"It was a good lesson for us to ride at the highest level. We were honoured to be at the start and I don't think that we disappointed. In a few moments, we lacked a bit of luck but that is cycling. A lot of work is ahead of us but for all of us this race was needed. Our riders have seen where they are and what they lack to be at their best. With such a start, we can now slowly raise our level and become an increasingly better team. Thanks to the guys for having tried and not done the race anonymously."

Iwan van Zandbeek (technical manager Cyclingteam De Rijke whose best rider was Huub Duyn in 91st)

"On the climbs we are overmatched. But on the relatively flat days we have done well.

"That's why we were realistic about our chances. In this tricky terrain, we have no role to play. That much is clear. But that's okay. We will not be competing against a field like the one here in Mallorca all year. And where we could, we did well.

"We have good results at this level. The boys are stronger and what is most important, they always give it their all. It gives us confidence for the rest of the season."

Speaking about today's race: "Despite our many attempts, we could not get away. Then we hit the climb and most of our riders fell off quickly.

"We are going to work hard next week - and will have a training camp at home - to be ready for early March. The first race is the Three Days of West Flanders. It is also a top field but on a course that suits us better."