Challenge Mallorca: Cancellara swoops to victory in Deia

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Fabian Cancellara (Trek-Segafredo) signalled his intentions for his final season in the professional peloton as he powered clear to claim a fine solo victory in the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana.

Former world champion Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky) took second place for the second successive day at the head of the chasing group, just in front of Belgian talent Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal).

If Cancellara’s sixth place in Friday’s Trofeo Pollenca-Andratx suggested that he had begun the campaign in fine form, then the final ten kilometres of Saturday’s race provided emphatic confirmation.

On the hilliest of the Challenge Mallorca’s four events, Cancellara had highlighted his eagerness by infiltrating the 23-man break that forged clear around the midway point, and he paced himself expertly when that group began to fragment on the day’s toughest climb, the Puig Major.

Dayer Quintana (Movistar), Tao Geoghegan Hart (Great Britain), Hugh Carthy (Caja Rural), Daniel Teklehaimanot (Dimension Data) and Benat Intxausti (Sky) were among the sizeable break that built up a maximum advantage of a little over two minutes over the main peloton, but all had to give best to Cancellara in the finale.

"I had no expectation to be in the breakaway," Cancellara said. "It was unclear if the break would make it. At the end, I was just trying to save as much energy as I could and followed the attacks from the group. In the last climb somehow I managed to survive, and then I felt some good feelings return."

The coup de grace arrived on the way down the Puig Major, as Cancellara powered clear of his breakaway companions, stretching out his advantage to 50 seconds, and he then proceeded to make light work of the day’s final climb, the Coll d’en Bleda.

Behind, Sky and Movistar, after some initial hesitancy, began to organise the pursuit in earnest, and though they soon swept up the remnants of the break, they never truly threatened to peg back Cancellara. Hunkered down in his familiar position, it was apparent that Cancellara was wholly committed to his attack, and he maintained a lead in excess of 30 seconds over the peloton for most of the final 10 kilometres.

The Swiss rider cruised into Deia to claim victory by 17 seconds. It was Cancellara’s first victory since the concluding time trial of last year’s Tirreno-Adriatico and it also marked the first time that he has ever won a professional race in January.

Kwiatkowski led the chasing group home, 17 seconds behind Cancellara, with Benoot taking third ahead of Friday’s winner Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx-QuickStep) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar).

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