American makes European debut in Mallorca Challenge
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Phil Gaimon remained in the lead after today's stage(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Phil Gaimon (Garmin-Sharp)(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)
Phillip Gaimon (Garmin Sharp) was second overall at the conclusion of the race(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Phillip Gaimon (Garmin-Sharp)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Phillip Gaimon held onto the leader's jersey(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Race leader Phil Gaimon (Garmin-Sharp) digs deep(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
After a dream start to his career at Garmin Sharp with a stage win and second overall at the Tour de San Luis last month, Philip Gaimon travelled to Europe for his European debut at the Challenge Mallorca.
The 28-year-old had been one of the highest profile riders on the US domestic season, but until last year, it looked as though his chances of signing for a major WorldTour team were behind him. However, long term admirer, Jonathan Vaughters, signed the Ohio-born rider for the 2014 season.
It’s a move that instantly paid off with Gaimon winning the opening stage of the Tour de San Luis and picking up the leader’s jersey to boot. Although he relinquished to the jersey to Tour de France star Nairo Quintana, and had to settle for second place overall, it was an impressive result for the American.
A few weeks on and Gaimon has swamped the warmth of Argentina for the more frigid temperatures on offer at Mallorca.
The four-day event allows riders to pick and chose their races and with their one and only Garmin training camp hot on the heels of the race, Gaimon was using the race to gain as much experience as possible.
In this exclusive video interview for Cyclingnews, Gaimon talks about his season debut, the plans for Mallorca and the transition he’s currently experience as he swaps life on the domestic stage in the US for the WorldTour arena in Europe. To subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel, click here.
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
