After a first day for the sprinters, the second day of the Mallorca Challenge was leading the peloton for a first time into the mountains. An early break was caught on the climb up the Puig Major, where Lennard Kämna was the first to show the BORA – hansgrohe colors at the head of the race. When Kämna was caught after being 20 kilometers in front, it was Emanuel Buchmann who launched an attack from the new leading quartet to ride to an impressive solo victory in Deja. At the first victory of the season for BORA – hansgrohe, Gregor Mühlberger took third place in the sprint of the chasing group.
Results
01 E. Buchmann 0:00:00
02 A. Valverde +0:38
03 G. Mühlberger +0:40
From the Finish Line
„Big thanks to the team. We rode an offensive race and put a lot of pressure to the other teams. I just had to attack at the right moment to finish off all the work from our guys. My legs have been good, but I was surprised that on the final climb nobody was able to bridge across. My training went well the last weeks, but I didn’t expect to able to fight for the win here. Of course this result is a huge boost to the whole team and we look confidently forward to the next races now.“ – Emanuel Buchmann
“Huge compliment to the boys. Our plan worked out perfectly today. We wanted to ride aggressive to put other favorites like Valverde under pressure. Patrick Gamper was pushing the pace in the bunch in the flat part, then Jempy helped to position out climbers at the foot of the Puig. Lennard was the first one to attack and he rode around 20 km at the front at his first race for BORA – hansgrohe. In the first chasing group we had Emu, Rafal and Gregor. When Lennard was caught, Emu jumped in a new 4-men break and dropped the others later in the downhill. Unfortunately, Rafal had to change bike at that point of the race. On the last climb Emu was just superior and took a confident win. In the sprint behind Gregor took third. A perfect day for us and a congrats to the whole team.” – Jens Zemke, Sports Director
