Mallorca Challenge 2009: Colom first in overall

Colom holds Mallorca trophey

Spaniard Antonio Colom of Team Katusha kept the lead to win the final general classification. It was Colom’s second overall victory at the Challenge Mallorca, having one once previously in 2004. Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Columbia-Highroad) and Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step), respectively, finished at 35 seconds behind Colom in general classification.

Gerald Ciolek of Team Milram won the Trofeo Calvia on the final day of the Challenge Mallorca. The German, 22, out-sprinted Team Columbia-Highroad duo Edvald Boasson Hagen and Marcel Sieberg after 147.6 kilometres of racing. It was the team’s first win of 2009.

Mallorca Challenge 2009: Stage 4. Colom takes race and GC lead

Antonio Colom in Mallorca

Spaniard Antonio Colom (Team Katusha) won the penultimate stage of the Mallorca Challenge on Wednesday and charged into the overall lead.

Colom won the 143.3km stage around Bunyola in 3:54:49, 56 minutes ahead of Edvald Boasson (Team Columbia-High Road) and Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step).

Colom now leads Pineau by 41 seconds going into the finale, a 147.6km leg from Magaluf to Palmanova, with Boasson third in the same time.

Results

1 Antonio Colom (Spa) Katusha                  3.05.49
2 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Columbia - HR    0.56
3 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quick Step
4 Sylvian Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step
5 Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - Highroad

Mallorca Challenge 2009: Stage 2. McEwen first!!!

Another day, another win for Katusha Cycling Team. This time it was the australian mega-sprinter Robbie McEwen to win the stage. On the yesterday’s finish he offered the line to his mate Gert Steegmans. Today, they have changed their places.

The race was lead by a breakaway group: José Antonio Carrasco Ramírez (Spa – Andalucia-Cajasur), Romain Sicard (Fra – Orbea) and Mikel Ilundain (Spa – Orbea) lead the pack by under two minutes with about 50k left.

The chase, driven by  Steegmans‘ and McEwen‘s Team Katusha domestiques, began for real, the two Spaniards got rapidly swallowed up by the peloton and the Fab Four on the front saw their advantage become slimmer and slimmer, until the peloton got back as one at km.

At the finish we have seen once more a perfect dominance by Katusha.

Monday’s leg at the Volta a Mallorca is a 176.5-kilometre effort both starting and finishing at Cala Millor town, with two small ascents coming in the first half and one last minor difficulty about 30 kilometres from the finish.

Mallorca Challenge 2009: Stage 2

Trofeo Mallorca 2009: Double win for Katusha

Gert Steegmans today's winner

February 8: Trofeo Mallorca, 116km

A perfect day – a perfect win.

Katusha went one-two in the opening leg of the Mallorca Challenge with Gert Steegmans flying across the line ahead of teammate Robbie McEwen. Caisse d’Epargne sprinter José Joaquin Rojas came through third.

The 116km circuit course in Palma de Mallorca officially opened the 2009 Spanish calendar and the Russian-sponsored Katusha had its way against an international field.

Trofeo Mallorca Challenge 2009

Spain’s first major race of 2009 will see an enormous field of riders contest the five-day event. The UCI Europe Tour continues with the 2009 Volta Ciclista a Mallorca Challenge from February 8-12. The 18th edition of this event includes five separate races: Trofeo Mallorca, Trofeo Cala Millor – Cala Bona, Trofeo Pollensa – Puerto de Alcudia, Trofeo Inca and Trofeo Calvia. The 19 teams, from 10 nations, will divide their roster differently among each race, based on their strengths and season objectives. Last year’s champion, Philippe Gilbert, is not returning to defend his title.

The teams include: 9 ProTeams – Katusha, Caisse d’Epargne, Euskaltel Euskadi, Cofidis, Quick Step, Team Milram, Liquigas, Rabobank, Team Columbia – High Road; and 10 Professional Continental and Continental teams – Andalucía Caja Sur, Xacobeo Galicia, Plowman Craven – Madison, Team Nutrixxion Sparkasse, Burgos Monumental, Kuota Indeland, ELK Haus, Orbea, Van Vliet and Contentpolis – Ampo.

The riders who will represent Team Katusha during this cycling event are:
Alexander Botcharov, Sergey Ivanov, Vladimir Karpets, Sergey Klimov, Nikolay Trusov, Antonio Colom, Juan Horrach Ripoll, Robbie McEwen, Christian Pfannberger, Kenny Dehaes, Gert Steegmans, and Stijn Vandenbergh