Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) notched up his first win of the season today in the Trofeo Palma de Mallorca, the first stage of the Mallorca Challenge. The American beat Spaniard Francisco Ventoso (Movistar) and German Marcel Kittel (Skil-Shimano) in the finishing sprint. The race wasn't run without controversy though, as the riders held a protest at the beginning of the race and refused to ride without their radios. The situation saw the start delayed by 20 minutes and the UCI officials leave the event, meaning Farrar's triumph would not make an appearance in the official record books.
The racing hotted up early in the day, with seven riders jumping clear of the peloton early on, and the pace averaging 45kph. The group was eventually paired down to Ukrainian Oleg Chuzhda (Caja Rural) and Javier Ramirez Abeja (Andalucía-Caja Granada), who managed to hold off the charging field until the penultimate lap.
As soon as the two were swallowed up by the race, the sprinter's teams went to the front and kept the speed high as they made the approach to the finish. Farrar, fresh off his participation in the Tour Down Under, powered to the line with a decisive win over the rest.
Today set the stage for tomorrow's Trofeo Cala Millor. The riders will take in a 172.4 kilometer route, and with no major difficulties on tap, the Garmin-Cervelo rider will try to make it two in a row.
2011 Mallorca Challenge; Trofeo Palma de Mallorca Results:
1) Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo)
2) Francisco Ventoso (Movistar)
3) Marcel Kittel (Skil-Shimano)
4) Joaquin Rojas (Movistar)
5) Klass Lodewyck (Omega Pharma-Lotto)
6) Vicente Grau (Burgos 2016-Castilla y Leon)
7) Jose Lobato (Andalucia-Caja Granada)
8) Koldo Fernandez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
9) Tony Gallopin (Cofidis)
10) Dries Devenyns (Quick Step)
11) Oscar Freire (Rabobank)