The second race of the Mallorca Challenge was also one for the true climbers. A parcours packed with up and downs on twisty, narrow roads promised another exciting day in the saddle, while the rainy weather conditions in the beginning made it even more difficult for the riders. The race start in Andratx was followed by the first uphill sections, where the first riders tried to break away from the bunch. However, it took more than 20k until a group of four was finally able to break away from the peloton. Movistar took control of the bunch and the gap to the escapees was controlled at around 3 minutes. Until that stage of the race, BORA – hansgrohe took it relatively easy, trying to save as much energy as possible for the hardest part of the day. The Puig Major awaited the riders, and today BORA – hansgrohe had even more cards to play, as Patrick Konrad and Rafal Majka were joined by another two strong climbers in Emanuel Buchmann and Pete Kennaugh. The bunch accelerated on the climb, and three of the escapees were able to hang onto a 40’’ lead. But Movistar kept the pace high in the downhill and with 25k to go, the break was finally caught. When the bunch settled, Emanuel Buchmann took the opportunity to launch another attack. Giving it his all, the German was able to open a 40’’ gap. With 10k to go, a strong chasing group of six tried to catch up with Emu, but Buchmann kept his focus and defended his lead in superior style. In the end he took an invaluable victory in Lloseta after soloing the last 20 kilometers.
Results
01 E. Buchmann 4:39:03
02 T. Wellens +0:16
03 B. Mollema +0:19
14 P. Konrad +1:14
From the Finish Line
“What a start to the season! One of my goals for 2019 was to improve my ability to win races. But I didn’t expect to already win my first one. Normally I use these first races more as intense training sessions under race conditions. That’s why I wanted to go deep today and attacked when I got the opportunity. I think I improved overall during the winter, even though it may be too early in the season to say that. But so far I can definitely be really happy!” – Emanuel Buchmann
“Wow, what a ride! How he finished that one off, just impressive. But I want to congratulate the whole team. It was important to stay in a good position in the beginning, but also to stay focused before Soller. Everybody did a great job, and after the Puig Major we still had numerous riders in the main bunch. We wanted to try something, and Emu was the first one to give it a go. From there on it was just all-in. I am really happy for Emu, he proved several times how strong he can be, but he didn’t win a lot so far. That’s why this one is really special.” – André Schulze, Sport Director
