Matteo Pelucchi (IAM Cycling) won the opening race of this year’s Challenge Mallorca in Campos today.
The Italian rider beat Elia Viviani (Team Sky) and Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar), in a hotly contested sprint finish – to seize the first victory in the series.
Race Highlights
Today’s 175 kilometer race, saw Damien Garcia (Team Froy-Oslo) and Alex Kirsch (CULT Energy) forced a break in the opening kilometers. And, from there, the duo built up an advantage of more than 11 minutes over the peloton – as the race reached the halfway point.
However, Garcia was the first to fade, leaving Kirsch to go it alone. But, as the race entered into the final 23 kilometers, the CULT Engery rider was caught as well.
A crash in the final three kilometers claimed MTN-Qhubeka’s Andreas Stauff, who suffered a broken clavical in the fall.
From there, the field held together, with Team Sky’s Ben Swift leading out his teammate Viviani into the final straight. But, the Italian rider didn’t have the legs to fend off fellow countryman Pelucchi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx8uAQkUfKk
Top 20 Finishers
1 Matteo Pelucchi (Ita) IAM Cycling 4:17:55
2 Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky
3 Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Movistar Team
4 Nacer Bounhanni (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
5 Danny Van Poppel (Ned) Trek Factory Racing
6 Raymond Kreder (Ned) Team Roompot
7 Ben Swift (Gbr) Team Sky
8 André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal
9 Bryan Coquard (Fra) Team Europcar
10 Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Argon 18
11 Lukas Jaun (Swi) Roth Skoda
12 Dylan Page (Swi) Roth Skoda
13 Pawel Franczak (Pol) Activejet Team
14 Dylan Vanbaarie (Ned) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team
15 Francesco Lasca (Ita) Caja Rural-Seguros Rga
16 Maciej Paterski (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
17 Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bora-Argon 18
18 Jesus Ezquerra (Spa) Activejet Team
19 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) MTN – Qhubeka
20 Jesper Asselman (Ned) Team Roompot
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