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Wiggins, Valverde to headline Mallorca Challenge

By Cycling News

published 29 January 2014

Porte, Uran, Scarponi also scheduled to take part

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Bradley Wiggins awaits his leader's jersey(Image credit: Rob Lampard)

Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain) with the silver medal at the 2013 time trial Worlds(Image credit: Sirotti)

Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) won the Trofeo Deià while teammate Francisco Ventoso celebrates.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)

The Challenge Mallorca headed into the hills for the Trofeo Deia(Image credit: Bettini Photo)

2012 Tour de France champion Sir Bradley Wiggins is set to once again kick off the season at the Challenge Mallorca, as will Movistar's Alejandro Valverde.

Howard continues Orica GreenEdge's winning run at Challenge Mallorca

Bradley Wiggins knighted by the Queen for services to cycling

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The two top riders will be part of the peloton in the four-race series which takes place in the island from February 9-12.

Team Sky will send Wiggins along with Richie Porte and Sergio Henao, according to the race promoter, while Movistar will have Valverde accompanied by Igor Anton and Beñat Intxausti.

Omega Pharma-Quickstep has confirmed that Rigoberto Uran will take part in the race, so too will Michele Scarponi of Astana, Michael Albasini (Orica - GreenEdge), Jurgen van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) and Tropicale Amissa Bongo stage winner Luis Leon Sanchez with his Caja Rural - RGA Seguros team.

10 WorldTour teams will take part in the race, which includes the sprinter-friendly Trofeo Palma, the equally flat Trofeo Ses Salines – Campos – Santanyí, the mountainous Trofeo Deià (won by Valverde last season), and the Trofeo Muro – Port d’Alcudia, with mountains in the middle but a flat finale for the sprinters.

Astana, Europcar, Garmin-Sharp, Katusha, Lampre-Merida, Lotto-Belisol, Movistar, Omega Pharma-QuickStep, Orica-GreenEdge, and Team Sky make up the top tier teams, while Caja Rural, Cofidis, IAM Cycling, MTN-Qhubeka, NetApp-Endura, Novo Nordisk come from the Pro Continental ranks. Continental teams Active Jet, Burgos-BH, De Rijke-Shanks, Euskadi and the Ecuador national team fill out the roster.