Trofeo Pollença-Port d’Andratx – Preview

By @EchelonsHub

We go into the fourth day of the Mallorca Challenge and on the menu there is a nice hilly classic which has the race’s sole summit finish.

The Route

On the menu is a rough day. And I’m going to go straight into the truth, this race is essentially the first two hilly days recycled. You have the climb of the Puig Major (summit with 98Km to go and has a technical descent afterwards, so it is quite possible to see some meaningful attacks) ridden in the opposite direction, the final set of climbs and descents of today are exactly the same as tomorrow’s first, but on the opposite direction. 

And the second section of the race, from Sóller to Andratx, from 83 to around 18 kilometers to go, is the decisive hilly section of Trofeo Calvia, exactly replicated. These include two sets of three climbs, the first set a bit harder (climbs summit with 78, 65 and 60Km to go), and the second is slightly more gentle but closer to the finale (climbs summit with 38, 30 and 21Km to go), but after those the route changes as the peloton heads towards the Port d’Antrax.

It is the final ascent, 2.5Km at 8.4%. It isn’t constant, starts out steep, and then from 1Km to 500 meters to go you’ve got some +10% grades which are likely the preferred spot for an attack for those who are in front.

The Weather

Some wind from the south, not strong, but this is also the day where the wind would have less effect. It will be covered throughout the day, so it should make no difference.

Tactics

Not as much as Trofeo Calvia, but this is a race made for attackers aswell. There is a clear definining obstacle in this race which is the hilltop finish where some of the favourites will be focused, but for the race to solely be decided there it will require a lot of collaboration between different teams, which in unlikely as many teams come with absolute stacked squads, and have the capacity to attack with multiple riders.

I would believe Movistar and Israel have reasons to control the race as Valverde and Clarke will like the hilltop finish and specially the latter seems to carry some amazing form. Of the other teams with several cards, they should attack early and hard, to not only put other teams under pressure, but also so as to increase their chances of winning.

The Favourites

Movistar – Alejandro Valverde has one task, make sure he gets to the final climb in front. If he does, he is likely the man to beat, he’s shown good enough form to be considered a main favourite. The Spanish team would also benefit from this having Gonzalo Serrano who can very well pose an issue for rivals aswell, unless the ascent proves too long. Enric Mas is their third weapon, today was the best day for him, I expect him to be covering moves above all tomorrow.

Brandon McNulty – Strong and consistent so far, the finale tomorrow is perhaps too explosive for his taste, but UAE don’t just have him, Marc Soler and Ryan Gibbons are likely to go on the attack early on whilst McNulty is covered, and they can really cook up a nice strategy if they play their cards well.

Bora – Climber country. Patrick Konrad is the rider suited the best to this race, the German team can count on Emanuel Buchmann and Alexandr Vlasov aswell though, both pure climbers. They could ideally do really well on the final climb, however it is more likely that they will cause trouble by stimulating dangerous attacks throughout the Mallorcan hills.

Simon Clarke – Not only did he get a new contract last-minute, but he is absolutely flying in this season start! Today was a day for the climbers and he resisted the whole way, tomorrow will suit him better. On paper the climb is too long for him, but after today I wouldn’t trust that logic.

Tim Wellens – As classic, Tim Wellens has opened his tab in Mallorca. Having a win under the belt already he will go into tomorrow without that pressure, he is a perfect rider for the rolling hills and may go from far out, however I think he can afford to relax and see how the race plays out, the hilltop finish is also well suited for his skills, and Andreas Kron is another card for the Belgian team.

Warren Barguil – Having done a good race today, he will be one of the big favourites for tomorrow. The Breton is a prime puncheur and Arkea has team to help control a peloton, this will be his last chance to succeed here.

Intermarché – Kobe Goossens has shown great form and is coming into his own, I’m unsure how he will do in such an explosive ascent but he’s definitely got some good chances of being up there in the Top10 again. As for Binian Ghirmay, it isn’t because he’s won a big sprint that he can’t climb anymore, he’s definitely a man to watch if he sets off on some opportunist moves.

Cofidis – They have a trio of strong riders here, although they have been riding under the radar Cofidis have a nice set of puncheurs in Simon Geschke and Davide Villella who’ve had solid results so far, Jesús Herrada is another rider who loves this kind of rough aggressive racing, and with the right legs is also capable of fighting with the sharks on the climbs.

The race can be decided with an opportunist attack though, riders like Aurelien Paret-Peintre and Michael Matthews can benefit from a lucky race situation, however there is a lot of space for outsiders to make dangerous moves. It’s early enough in the year and the race is easy enough to allow many to have the capacity to attack, rouleurs mainly.

Inside The Bus

This morning I talk to…

#229 Robbe Ghys – This is a day to roll into with no big ambitions boys, we can try to get some guys in the breakaway, Robbe you are included in the group, the start is flat so it shouldn’t be too hard as long as we commit.

#307 Miguel Valls – Miguel, breakaway day. You’re not the first person I tell this to, we’re here to show off our brilliant Manuela Fundación jersey to let people know we actually made it!

#124 Simon Pellaud – Simon! This is a day for you, I know you’ll be drooling to get in the breakaway but hold your horses, we actually have a chance to cause havoc here and get a good result, you and Daan are perfect for this kind of rolling profile, stay in the peloton and save your legs, in the final climb there won’t be many chances but I want both you and Daan to really dig deep and try to enter groups in those climbs between 45 and 20Km to go. We can take advantage of the peloton disorganization if we get along some other teams in the front. If it fails do your thing, you won’t likely get a strong result but will get some good efforts on the legs.

Prediction Time

⭐⭐⭐Valverde, McNulty, Clarke

⭐⭐Serrano, Mas, Wellens, Barguil

⭐Soler, Konrad, Buchmann, Vlasov, Goossens, Geschke, Paret-Peintre

The race will be complicated but Alejandro Valverde has given Movistar reasons to control the race and try to have a compact peloton at the base of the final climb. Will it happen? Who knows, but Bala is very hard to beat in such a climb like this.

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