The night before the Serra de Tramuntana Trophy, the authorities warned: Red alert decreed in Mallorca due to low temperatures and a high probability of snow at only 500 meters above sea level. And the ascent to Puig Major, the highest point on the entire island, was among the profile of this Saturday. Non-viable. It was time to redo the profile and the alternative was a double ascent to the Coll de Femenies, reduce the distance (in total 123 km) and start the day later with the beginning and end in Lloseta. Despite all these changes, There was also a meeting at 12:00 between the organization and the directors in case the race was held, with a positive resolution, and it is that right at the start the weather respected. A utopia, because it was another day spent by water in which the Belgian won for the second consecutive day Kobe Goossens, who arrived without success in his record (26 years old) and leaves with twosince this Sunday he will not participate in the Palma Trophy, ideal for sprinters.
The podium was totally Belgian, with Van Eetvelt second (he was third the day before in a day in which he said that his objective was not the position, but to reach the finish line as soon as possible due to the cold) and Ilan Van Wilder third in a Quick Step that won’t win… and that’s because three of the four Trophies contested in this Challenge went to Intermaché: one of Rui Costa and two from Gossens. Only Van der Berg, from Education First, managed to snatch a success this week, and that the Belgian team was also on the podium with Girmay’s third place that day (this Sunday he starts as one of the favorites). At the start the runners would have it clear: few would be the ones who would finish and they would arrive in advance. They didn’t fail. Around 75 runners finished and the winner’s average was 42 km/h, a very high pace. The race was broken almost from the beginning, with Alaphilippe showing up again without success and with the UAE and Intermaché taking control of the race.
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It would be the second ascent to the Femenies that would decide… although more differences were made in the descent. Soggy road, cold and constant rain, which made Belgian Uijtdebroeks, only 19 years old, suffer for the second day in a row. In this way, Goossens took risks again and it was enough to celebrate the victory, the second in less than 24 hours. “It is incredible, again winner. Before the first climb I was very cold and the team protected me well. It was very hard. I prefer that the weather is not so bad”, he said at the finish line while shivering from the cold. “I felt strong,” he stressed before leaving to pass the anti-doping control. A Belgian-style climate and three from that country on the podium.
In 2022, Goossens started in Mallorca in good shape, with three top-ten, although during the rest of the campaign he did not occupy those positions again. In this Challenge, two wins and a seventh place were his letter of introduction. Once again, at the finish line, the scenes of runners hardly able to put on jackets, with assistants shaking them to warm up… local veterans don’t remember such a cold Challenge. They emphasize that there is always a bad weather day because it is still January, but this time they are all. And in Palma, this Sunday to finish, rain is expected. A very wintery Mallorca.
Classification of the Serra de Tramuntana Trophy
1st Kobe Goossens (BÉL/Intermaché) 2h 55:07
2nd Lennet van Eetvelt (BÉL/Lotto) at 7
3rd Ilan van Wilder (BÉL/Quick Step) 9
4th Lilian Calmejane (FRA/Intermache) 11
5th Brandon McNulty (USA/UAE) 13
13 Fernando Barceló (Caja Rural) 1:33