Mallorca Challenge 26th - 30th of january 2022

[Earns1985]

So there it is:

The first international race with world tour teams at the start in 2022.

There are five one-day races with pretty interesting profiles.

Only the last one could be one for the sprinters and even for this one they have to fight.

Trofeo Calvia:

Wednesday 26 January 2022 - 154,7 Km.

Trofeo Alcudia - Port D' Alcudia:

Thursday, 27 January 2022 - 173.2 Km

TrofeoSerra de Tramuntana:

Friday, 28 January 2022 - 158.9 km

Trofeo Pollença - Port d' Andratx:

Saturday, 29 January 2022 - 170.1 Km

Trofeo Playa de Palma – Palma

Sunday 30 January 2022 - 169.1 km

 

[Remy55]

Any coverage of those races?

 

[F_Cance]

not live

 

[Earns1985]

Eurosport only shows half an hour highlights every day..

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Trofeo Calvià
The final 100 kilometres of this one look to be identical to last year's race, won by Ryan Gibbons in a sprint-à-deux with Anthony Delaplace ahead of a 30-rider peloton.

Es Capdella

Coll des Tords

Coll des Grau

Coll den Claret (final 5k only)

Coll de Sóller

Coll den Bleda + Coll Sa Padrissa

Coll den Claret (final 4.5k only)

Torre del Verger

Coll de sa Gramola

Coll de n'Esteve (final climb; I'm 95% certain the profile is wrong here as the accompanying map shows them going up a steep, narrow road that was unpaved last time the Streetview car was in the area and this wouldn't fit with the roadbook either. If not, the route to Coll de sa Coma is the profile in this link.)

They then head back through Calvià, down the wide Coll des Cocons; the descent ends 1200 metres before the finish in Palmanova.

Trofeo Port d'Alcúdia - Port d'Alcúdia
A vastly different route to last year's flat race won by André Greipel, but also clearly easier than the previous time the Challenge Mallorca had a finish here in 2014, when Gianni Meersman won a sprint of a dozen riders after four significant climbs.

Coll d'Artà: 6.1k at 1.6%

Coll Sa Batalla

Coll Femenia

The descent looks like this, from the point where it turns to false flat there are 22 kilometres left to race.

Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana
After years, the finish is not in Deià, but in Lloseta. Lloseta did host the finish of the Trofeo Andratx - Lloseta in 2019, won by Emanuel Buchmann, which had the same side of Puig Major as the main climb. However, that year the summit was 70 mostly flat kilometres from the finish line, this time there's only 33 kilometres left to race, so we have a legitimate descent finish on our hands this time.

Coll Femenia

Coll de Tofla

Coll Orient + Coll d'Honor

Coll de Sóller

Coll Puig Major

Descent (first 27k only)

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Trofeo Pollença - Port d'Andratx
Same route as in 2020, which ended in a victory for Marc Soler with only Gregor Mühlberger finishing within a minute.

Coll Femenia + Coll Puig Major

The section after this is identical to most of the finale of Trofeo Calvià:

Coll den Bleda + Coll Sa Padrissa

Coll den Claret (final 4.5k only)

Torre del Verger

Coll de sa Gramola

Coll de n'Esteve (I'm 95% certain the profile is wrong here as the accompanying map shows them going up a steep, narrow road that was unpaved last time the Streetview car was in the area and this wouldn't fit with the roadbook either. If not, the route to Coll de sa Coma is the profile in this link.)

Collet de Cala Blanca

Monport (finish)

Trofeo Playa de Palma - Palma
Back after a year's absence. The previous two winners are Matteo Moschetti and Marcel Kittel (his final victory), which tells you all you need to know about the difficulty of the climb.

Portol

Coll de Sa Creu - consists of the profile below...

...followed by 400 metres of descending at 5%, then the final 2.5k of the profile below.

After the descent, we have the usual lap up and down the boulevard along the coast. This means there's a 180-degree turn at 2.4k to go as the last pinch point before the finish line.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Awesome work, Devil's Elbow! The first races of the season are always extra interesting, so I can't wait for these even if we don't get to watch them

 

[RedheadDane]

Random fact: There's a 32-year age gap between the oldest and youngest rider.
They're teammates.
Of course, Rebellin is twice as old as the second oldest rider on the team.

 

[Earns1985]

Schachmann and Aleotti out with Covid Infection.

 

[hayneplane]

Very impressive previewing from Devils Elbow. If this sets the standard for race threads for minor races the forum is in a good place.

 

[yaco]

And Cosnefroy also out.

 

[RedheadDane]

I think Trek just won the prize for most unreadable team line-up! Holy Hell; that hurts my eyes!

Note, it's the lineup for the full week. They'll of course not all be racing all races.

 

[tobydawq]

I think Trek just won the prize for most unreadable team line-up! Holy Hell; that hurts my eyes!

Note, it's the lineup for the full week. They'll of course not all be racing all races.

I read it fine. Then again, I don't have very old eyes.

 

[dusty red roads]

Someone in the graphics department went a bit troppo!

 

[Netserk]

I read it find. Then again, I don't have very old eyes.

Who is Egholm?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Who is Egholm?

You haven't heard of Jakob Egholm? Or is it some kind of test to determine whether toby is old or not?

 

[Netserk]

You haven't heard of Jakob Egholm? Or is it some kind of test to determine whether toby is old or not?

Ha, my bad. I thought it was Eg (I forgot he for a moment that he is no longer at Trek), and that his name was Eg (Holm), but that Trek wrote his name as Egholm.

No, I have no idea who he is.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Ha, my bad. I thought it was Eg (I forgot he for a moment that he is no longer at Trek), and that his name was Eg (Holm), but that Trek wrote his name as Egholm.

No, I have no idea who he is.

Makes sense then.

Egholm's the former world junior RR champion from Doha, but he hasn't really found his feet as a pro yet. He was on his way out of the team after last season, but then, perhaps because of the abrupt farewell to Antonio Nibali, he got to stay another year.
He's a very good friend of Mads Pedersen, which probably hasn't been a disadvantage for him.

 

[RedheadDane]

I read it fine. Then again, I don't have very old eyes.

In my defense; my eyes have pretty much been *** since I was, like, nine!

Ha, my bad. I thought it was Eg (I forgot he for a moment that he is no longer at Trek), and that his name was Eg (Holm), but that Trek wrote his name as Egholm.

If that was the case, no wonder they'd want to use the long version of his name. Having "Eg" and "Aberasturi" take up the same amount of space would look really bad.

 

[tobydawq]

In my defense; my eyes have pretty much been *** since I was, like, nine!



If that was the case, no wonder they'd want to use the long version of his name. Having "Eg" and "Aberasturi" take up the same amount of space would look really bad.

Now I'm sad they didn't do it last year with Eg and Ghebreigzabhier.

My eyes have been bad since I was 7, ha!

 

[RedheadDane]

Now I'm sad they didn't do it last year with Eg and Ghebreigzabhier.

My eyes have been bad since I was 7, ha!

My eyes hurt just thinking about it.

Ahh, so you do have old eyes!

 

[tobydawq]

My eyes hurt just thinking about it.

Ahh, so you do have old eyes!

I have bad eyes, but they're young as the rest of me. I also have lenses which make me not experience their badness.

 

[RedheadDane]

I have bad eyes, but they're young as the rest of me. I also have lenses which make me not experience their badness.

I wear glasses, otherwise I'd be getting lost. But that thing Trek did... just...

Anyway; looks like the finalised startlists for Trofeo Calvia have started to come in:

Startlist for Trofeo Calvia 2022 (procyclingstats.com)

More green check marks should appear soon.

 

[tobydawq]

It's so weird these races are not televised. The whole cycling world would be watching after such a long lay-off and so few European pro races are not televised these days.

 

[geisterhome]

It's so weird these races are not televised. The whole cycling world would be watching after such a long lay-off and so few European pro races are not televised these days.

Yea I dont get it, such an strong startlist. The GP Marseilleise isnt really any better.

 

[Bonimenier]

Ghirmay will take the victory today.