Ben Hermans (RadioShack) won the Trofeo Inca, the third race in the Mallorca Challenge, as he and his two breakaway companions managed to hold off the peloton. The Belgian outsprinted Arkaitz Duran (Geox-TMC) and Xavier Tondo (Movistar) at teh end of the mountainous 157.2km race in the northern part of the Mediterranean Island.
After 47km a group of four riders escaped, made up of Adrian Palomares (Andalucía-Caja Granada), Dimitri Claeys (NetApp), Jason McCartney (Radioshack) and Adrian Saez (Orbea); by the 67km mark the quartet had opened up a gap of more than 9 minutes over the lethargic peloton.
As the race hit the slopes of the 2nd category Coll de Soller, and then the 1st category Coll de Puigmajor, and the four riders were eventually caught.
On the second climb Hermans, Duran and Tondo got away and, although they were only 14 seconds clear at the summit, they descended quickly and collaborated together on the final, flatter 10km to the finish.
As the breakaway trio came into the finish it was Hermans, who outsprinted Belgian champion Stijn Devolder to take a stage of the Tour of Belgium last year, who was the fastest to take the RadioShack team’s first victory of the season.
Brazilian champion Murilo Fischer (Garmin-Cervélo) led the peloton across the line 45 seconds later.
Result Trofeo Inca
1. Ben Hermans (Bel) RadioShack
2. Arkaitz Duran (Spa) Geox-TMC
3. Xavier Tondo (Spa) Movistar
4. Murilo Fischer (Bra) Garmin-Cervélo @ 45s
5. Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Rabobank
6. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Cervélo
7. Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Katusha
8. Juan Jose Cobo (Spa) Geox-TMC
9. Gorka Izagirre (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
10. Tony Gallopin (Fra) Cofidis