“As for the weather, it is one of the three or four worst editions of the Majorca Challenge”, the race director, Manolo Hernández, told AS during the Palma Trophy that brought the 32nd edition of the race to an end. The day began with rain, but this time luckily the runners had better conditions. Of course, when the sun appeared… so did the wind. There was no way to have a quiet day. It was a day destined for sprinters, which is why none of the top-ten the day before in the Serra de Tramuntana Trophy was in Palma this Sunday, which hosted both the start and the finish on the seafront, next to La Seu (the Majorca Cathedral) and the victory went to the British Ethan Vernon. The one from Quick Step gives the Belgian team the victory that they were looking for so much during the week and that they resisted.
He did it ahead of the Eritrean Girmay, who was one step away from completing his sprint comeback, and the Belgian (a lot of prominence for them in this Challenge) Jarne van de Paar, from Lotto. All three, 22 years old. Fourth was Iván García Cortina, who tried to launch the arrival from afar by sticking to the wheel of the Quick Step, but could not resist in the final meters. Before, some brave Berasategi (Euskaltel), Cobo (Kern Pharma) Van Helemen (Flanders-Baloise) and Terrasa (from the RFEC, who came to the Challenge to get the track team up to speed for the European Championships), they tried it in a breakaway that, as was foreseeable, had no margin to succeed.
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The arrival, with a different final circuit due to some works along the promenade, put the sprinters’ teams in the lead: the UAE, for Molano, Movistar worked for Cortina… and Quick Step, as usual, pushed to the maximum and waited to take the lead, a position that they no longer let go. For Vernon it is the fourth victory of his career, the second in Spain (he won in the Volta in 2022): “We were very close these days, the teammates worked very hard and the victory finally came on the last day. It’s my second year as a professional and winning already in January is special”, said the Briton at the finish line. He ends his participation in Mallorca with two podiums in two participations: 2nd in the Ses Salines Alcudia Trophy and 1st in Palma, although the winning team this week was Intermaché, present on the podium during the five tests: a victory for Rui Costa, two for Gossens and, in those that did not win, they got on the podium with Girmay (third and second). Majorca says goodbye until next year.
Palma Trophy Classification
1st Ethan Vernon (GBR/Quick Step) 3h 17:57
2nd Biniam Girmay (ERI/Intermachee) mt
3rd Jarne van der Paar (BÉL/Lotto) mt
4th Iván García Cortina (Movistar) mt
5th Juan Sebastián Molano (COL/UAE) mt