Arne Marit wins Trofeo Palma in debut for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe

Arne Marit did not miss his debut for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. The Belgian sprinter, who rode for Intermarché-Wanty last year, won the Trofeo Palma in Mallorca on Sunday. He was the fastest in a bunch sprint.

Traditionally, the Challenge Mallorca concludes with the Trofeo Palma, starting and finishing in the main town of the cycling and holiday island,. Just southeast of the city, the starting shot was fired, after which the riders headed inland for over 100 kilometers. This did not amount to many elevation meters. A bunch sprint was therefore the expected scenario, after riding four laps along the Palma de Mallorca boulevard.

Breakaway with Herregodts and Johannink
In the run-up to the local circuit, a breakaway of four riders formed. Included were a Belgian and a Dutchman: Rune Herregodts (UAE Emirates XRG) and Jelle Johannink (Unibet Rose Rockets). They were joined by Germans Michel Hessmann (Movistar) and Jasha Sütterlin (Jayco AlUla). Once in Palma, Herregodts and Johannink eventually remained together. Herregodts resisted the longest, but his adventure ended four kilometers from the finish. It would come down to a sprint.

Tudor Pro Cycling and Lotto-Intermarché positioned themselves at the front of the peloton in this phase, while the Unibet Rose Rockets squad was also waiting in the wings. At the last turn before the finish, several lead-out trains were disrupted by a crash involving Noah Hobbs. This did not affect XDS Astana and TotalEnergies. They were in the best positions heading into the final few hundred meters.

Dream debut for Arne Marit
In the final straight, Iván García Cortina came flying from behind at high speed. Arne Marit jumped onto his wheel, passed the Spaniard, and held off the competition. The Belgian, who was initially designated as the lead-out man for teammate Alessio Magagnotti, immediately took a victory on his first race day for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe.

Max Kanter finished second, while 19-year-old Magagnotti took third. Dylan Groenewegen, the spearhead of Unibet Rose Rockets, had too much ground to make up and finished seventh.