David de la Cruz in 12th place at Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana
The hardest section of this year's Mallorca Challenge was today’s more than 153 km stretch from Deia to Monasterio de Lluc. The race profile had no less than five mountain classifications, including the climb up Puig Major - the highest mountain in the Balearic islands. Michal Kwiatkowski of Team Omega Pharma – Quick Step stood out as soloist. His pursuers reached the finish line only 27 seconds later. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) and Francesco Gavazzi (Astana) won the pursuit sprint, completing the podium. David de la Cruz of Team NetApp – Endura underscored his good early form, finishing in 12th place.
The race started out at great speed, with many attacks. After the first major group was set back from the field, five riders broke away and determined most of the race. The group gained a lead of nearly nine minutes before Team Sky began catching up in the main field. The leading group fell apart on the last climb of the day, while at the same time the mountain riders in the field picked up the pace to disengage from the peloton. Team NetApp – Endura in this group was represented by three specialists: David de la Cruz, Tiago Machado and Jose Mendes. After the breakaway group of the day were caught, the later stage winner attacked six kilometers from the finish and rode to victory solo.
"David rode a very good race today. His 12th place spot is something we can build on in the coming weeks. For Tiago and Jose it was the first race of the season. It was good that they showed their stuff on the final climb. The result at the end is then not quite so crucial," said Enrico Poitschke, Sport Director of Team NetApp – Endura, after the race.
The final day of the Mallorca Challenge led the riders again over challenging terrain. 162 kilometers must be completed on the Trofeo Muro-Port D'Alcudia. The famous Col de Soler is on the program, in addition to another climb up Puig Major. The last 50 kilometers of the race are either downhill or flat, so a sprint out of a large group is expected.
09.02: Trofeo Palma 116 km
10.02: Trofeo Ses Salines 183 km
11.02: Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana 152,9 km
12.02: Trofeo Platja de Muro 162 km