Cyclingflash
Remco Evenepoel wins Trofeo Serra Tramuntana with big lead

Remco Evenepoel wins Trofeo Serra Tramuntana with big lead

Remco Evenepoel clinched the Trofeo Serra Tramuntana the day after his victory in the Trofeo Ses Salines, riding for his team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. The Belgian completed a long solo on Mallorca with a lead of nearly two minutes over his rivals.

The Trofeo Serra Tramuntana is traditionally the mountain stage of the Challenge Mallorca, featuring the well-known climbs of Coll de Puig Major, as well as Coll de Soller and Coll de sa Batalla. With Evenepoel at the start, the focus was naturally on him.

On the road, a breakaway group eventually formed on Friday, consisting of Magnus Cort, Alex Tolio, Pablo Castrillo, Adria Pericas, Martin Tjotta, Ole Theiler, and Diego Uriarte, but this escape never built a significant gap on the peloton.

Evenepoel cruises to victory
When the peloton began the Coll de Soller climb, the gap to the early escapees was already within reach. That was the signal for Evenepoel to test his legs. The Belgian was clearly motivated on the second-category climb, sustaining his effort to the summit where he caught early escapee Pericas – who was gasping for air – at the top. The Spaniard soon had to let go, and Evenepoel then launched a long solo.

In the final fifty kilometers, Evenepoel effortlessly rode to victory. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider put minutes into the competition and didn’t even need to go full gas on the final Batalla climb to secure the win. After just over three and a half hours of racing, Evenepoel crossed the finish line at Santuari de Lluc with a smile.

Behind Evenepoel, the battle for the remaining podium places was more intense. After Pericas and Castrillo, the last escapees, were caught, a large peloton of around fifty riders contested second and third place.