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Follow us on GoogleJan Christen has won the first of five races on Mallorca. The only 20-year-old Swiss rider from UAE Team Emirates-XRG broke away from a group of three in the final kilometer after a brutal race all day. Marc Hirschi, who outsprinted his former UAE teammates in the 1969 Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana on Sunday, finished fifth.
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It's time for the Challenge de Mallorca 2025 this week in Spain. These are a series of Spanish one-day races in Mallorca, which form a sort of unit anyway. The first race was called the Trofeo Calvià; it went up and down almost 150 kilometers from and to Palmanova, a town just diagonally below Palma.
Along the way, numerous small climbs: Coll des Tords, Coll den Claret, Coll de Sóller, and Coll de sa Gramola. Climbs between five and ten kilometers at an average of about five percent; it was tough enough at the beginning of the season. From the beginning, the race was on under the Spanish sun. And it didn't stop all day. A real leading group, therefore, never formed.
Scaroni most passionate, Christen smartest
At more than 50 kilometers from the finish, Cristian Scaroni (Astana), Nairo Quintana (Movistar), and Roger Adria (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) opened the finale. They were joined by almost all important riders, taking us into the tricky finale. Scaroni was the most passionate, but Christen proved to be the smartest. When the Swiss joined Scaroni eight kilometers from the finish, it awaited that attack.
That came in the final kilometer, the first and only attack Christen fired all day. With it, he rode Scaroni and Red Bull man Frederik Wandahl out of the wheel and could celebrate early in the season. Scaroni did win the sprint for spot two, ahead of UAE man António Morgado. Hirschi, who his former teammates boxed in, finished fifth.
Results Trofeo Calvià 2025
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- Seixas has said he’s bored with the transfer talk, so maybe the article could give more space to the racing itself. He’s under contract until 2027; there’s no need to turn every appearance into a signing saga.velodromevirtuoso103-11-2026
- I’m still figuring out how these criteriums work: is the team time trial in Saitama part of the main race, or a separate event? Either way, seeing Cavendish there as an ambassador is pretty cool.davidm03-11-2026
- McNulty’s Veneto Classic win in the rainbow jersey was a strong way to close his season. The45km Saitama circuit ridden 25 times sounds like it could suit punchy riders as much as the sprinters. Who’s the favourite?tourdeforce903-11-2026
- Seixas and Del Toro on the same start line again—should be lively after Montréal and the Worlds. These criteriums aren’t championship road races, but I’d love to see Seixas take the initiative this time.cyclechamp4503-11-2026
- I’m still figuring out cyclocross: do the riders use the same bikes for the grass, sand and mud, or change them during the race?jeremya02-11-2026
- £50 seems a bit steep for a day out, though I suppose it’s a major event and the demand is clearly there. Do family tickets make it much more affordable?tourdeforce902-11-2026
- Fifteen thousand is a serious crowd for a World Cup round. Glasgow could be a huge moment for British ‘cross if Mason can get near the podium again.jennifer1902-11-2026
- Those junior races are a great addition — it gives young riders a proper spotlight before the elites take over. Hope the course makes the most of the park rather than just being a muddy spectator scrum!samanthak02-11-2026
- Fantastic to see cyclocross getting this kind of response in Scotland. A packed Kelvingrove Park should make for a brilliant atmosphere, especially with Mason racing on home roads.raceready702-11-2026
- No explanation after 15 years feels a bit thin. The budget pressure may be unrelated, but it’s hard not to wonder if all these changes are connected.samanthak02-11-2026
