Evenepoel's TTT train on track: Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe fastest in Trofeo Ses Salines

A team time trial is a rare sight in modern road cycling — but a one-day race contested as a TTT is rarer still. And where Trofeo Ses Salines was a sprinters’ race last year, this season it turned into a genuine “Triple T”. With the Tour de France set to open with a team time trial later this year, it immediately became a meaningful date on the calendar.

Eight WorldTour teams lined up to test equipment and, perhaps, start pencilling in names for that day in Barcelona. Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe treated the rehearsal seriously: with Evenepoel, Lipowitz and a Tour-ready supporting cast, the German team clearly meant business.

The other German squad at the start, REMBE | rad-net, were first to post a time, but Flanders-Baloise quickly dipped below that mark via X. From there, the benchmarks kept falling on the 23.8-kilometre course.

Flanders-Baloise’s time didn’t last long either. Unibet Rose Rockets — the only team to start with six riders rather than seven — went an impressive 54 seconds faster. It was a big ride from Bas Tietema’s squad, though the missing rider would ultimately count against them. Then Tudor Pro Cycling Team, led by new signing Stefan Küng, raised the bar again by going a further 27 seconds quicker.

It looked like a top time from the Swiss outfit, but Jayco AlUla were two seconds faster at the intermediate check — and that small advantage remained all the way to the finish. Meanwhile, several strong teams — including XDS Astana, EF Education–EasyPost and Uno-X Mobility — couldn’t get close on the split, though Movistar hovered within striking distance.

Evenepoel and company were two seconds down halfway, but the final section came with a headwind — meaning everything was still open. UAE Team Emirates–XRG weren’t in the fight for the win this time. Movistar eventually went 13 seconds quicker than Jayco AlUla, but it was Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe who produced the best final sector of all: they went four seconds faster than the Spaniards to take the victory.