Vuelta a Mallorca

The Challenge Vuelta Ciclista a Mallorca (English: Tour of Majorca, Catalan: Challenge Volta Ciclista a Mallorca) is a series of four (five until 2012) professional one day road bicycle races held on the Spanish island of Mallorca in late January or early February. The event is used as an early season preparatory event by many of the top teams in readiness for the bigger races later in the season. The five races are ranked 1.1 on the UCI Europe Tour.

Vuelta a Mallorca
Race details
DateEarly February
RegionMajorca, Spain
English nameTour of Majorca
Local name(s)Volta a Mallorca (in Catalan)
Vuelta a Mallorca (in Spanish)
DisciplineRoad
CompetitionUCI Europe Tour
TypeOne-day
Web sitevueltamallorca.com
History
First edition1992 (1992)
Editions29 (as of 2020)
First winner Javier Murguialday (ESP)
Most wins Francisco Cabello (ESP) (3 wins)
Most recent Antonio Colom (ESP)
(2009, no overall winner classification since)

Although the race styles itself as the "Tour of Majorca" it has never been allowed to be classed as a multi day stage race by the sports governing body the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) because the race rules allows riders not to participate on certain days if they don’t want to. However, there is an unofficial overall classification winner taken on total time over five days. This laid back attitude by the race organisers makes the race popular with team managers who can bring a large squad (sometimes as many as 20 riders) and interchange them over the five days. Apart from the overall classification on time there are the usual Mountains, Points and Sprints competitions associated with any stage race. There is also a competition for the top Majorcan based rider, in the past this has been won by Vicente Reynès, Antonio Colóm and Antonio Tauler.

The first day of racing is the Trofeo Mallorca which is a criterium (circuit race) around the streets of Palma. The second day is the Trofeo Cala Millor, sometimes called the Trofeo Alcúdia. These two opening days are run over a fairly flat course and result in a sprint finish. The Trofeo Pollença (day three) and Trofeo Sóller (day four) are contested over a more hilly course using the climbs of the Col de Sóller (501 metres) and the Col de Puig Major (850 metres) amongst others on the route. These two hilly days usually decide the outcome of the unofficial overall classification over the five days. The final days racing is the Trofeo Calvià which takes place on an undulating course over a series of small climbs.

Top class riders such as Laurent Jalabert, Alex Zülle and Alejandro Valverde have won the overall classification at the Vuelta a Mallorca; however, Spanish rider Francesco Cabello who rode for the Kelme team throughout his career, holds the record for the most victories, taking three overall victories in Majorca in 1996, 2000 and 2002. In 2004 Colóm became the first rider who was a native of the island of Majorca to take the overall classification.

The Vuelta a Mallorca receives heavy sponsorship from Tourism section of the local Majorcan government (Govern de la Illes Balears). The race was first held in 1992 and for the first three years was just open to Spanish teams, however in 1995 foreign squads were invited for the first time with teams such as Telekom and TVM attending. In 1998 Léon van Bon of the Dutch Rabobank squad became the first overall winner riding for a non Spanish team.

General Classification Winners
Year Country Rider Team
1992  Spain Javier Murguialday Lotus–Festina
1993  France Laurent Jalabert ONCE
1994  Spain David Garcia Marquina Banesto
1995   Switzerland Alex Zülle ONCE
1996  Spain Francisco Cabello Kelme–Artiach
1997  France Laurent Jalabert ONCE
1998  Netherlands Léon van Bon Rabobank
1999  Spain José Luis Rebollo ONCE–Deutsche Bank
2000  Spain Francisco Cabello Kelme–Costa Blanca
2001  Australia Matthew Hayman Rabobank
2002  Spain Francisco Cabello Kelme–Costa Blanca
2003  Spain Alejandro Valverde Kelme–Costa Blanca
2004  Spain Antonio Colom Illes Balears–Banesto
2005  Spain Alejandro Valverde Illes Balears–Banesto
2006  Spain David Bernabeu Comunidad Valenciana
2007  Spain Luis León Sánchez Caisse d'Epargne
2008  Belgium Philippe Gilbert Française des Jeux
2009  Spain Antonio Colom Team Katusha

Individual Race Winners
Year Trofeo Palma de Mallorca Trofeo Alcúdia Trofeo Calvia Trofeo Manacor Trofeo Sóller
1992  Kenneth Weltz (DEN)  Alfonso Gutiérrez (ESP)  Neil Stephens (AUS)  Alfonso Gutiérrez (ESP)  Juan Carlos González (ESP)
1993  Asiat Saitov (RUS)  Alfonso Gutiérrez (ESP)  Federico Echave (ESP)  Laurent Jalabert (FRA)  Laurent Jalabert (FRA)
1994  Joan Llaneras (ESP)  Asier Guenetxea (ESP)  Alfonso Gutiérrez (ESP)  José Ramón Uriarte (ESP)  Ángel Edo (ESP)
1995  Adriano Baffi (ITA)  Jeroen Blijlevens (NED)  Beat Zberg (SUI)  Samuele Schiavina (ITA)  Laurent Jalabert (FRA)
1996  Jeroen Blijlevens (NED)  Goder De Leeuw (NED)  Francisco Cabello (ESP)  Federico Colonna (ITA)  Francisco Cabello (ESP)
1997  Erik Zabel (GER)  Peter Van Petegem (BEL)  Tom Steels (BEL)  Hendrik Van Dijck (BEL)  Laurent Jalabert (FRA)
1998  Erik Zabel (GER)  Jeremy Hunt (GBR)  Tom Steels (BEL)  Elio Aggiano (ITA)  Tom Steels (BEL)
1999  Jeroen Blijlevens (NED)  Claus Michael Møller (DEN)  Francisco Cabello (ESP)  Mario Cipollini (ITA)  Mario Cipollini (ITA)
2000  Óscar Freire (ESP)  Robbie McEwen (AUS)  Elio Aggiano (ITA)  Paolo Bettini (BEL)  Francisco Cabello (ESP)
2001  Erik Zabel (GER)  Michael Boogerd (NED)  Robbie McEwen (AUS)  Erik Zabel (GER)  Mathew Hayman (AUS)
2002  Isaac Gálvez (ESP)  Igor Flores (ESP)  Erik Dekker (NED)  Óscar Freire (ESP)  Óscar Freire (ESP)
2003  Isaac Gálvez (ESP)  Allan Davis (AUS)  Remmert Wielinga (NED)  Isaac Gálvez (ESP)  Alexandre Usov (BLR)
2004  Allan Davis (AUS)  Óscar Freire (ESP)  Unai Etxebarria (VEN)  Allan Davis (AUS)  Alejandro Valverde (ESP)
2005  Óscar Freire (ESP)  Óscar Freire (ESP)  Antonio Colom (ESP)  Alejandro Valverde (ESP)  Alejandro Valverde (ESP)
Year Trofeo Palma de Mallorca Trofeo Cala Millor Trofeo Calvia Trofeo Pollença Trofeo Sóller
2006  Isaac Gálvez (ESP)  Isaac Gálvez (ESP)  David Kopp (GER)  David Bernabeu (ESP)  Paolo Bettini (ITA)
2007  Óscar Freire (ESP)  Vicente Reynès (ESP)  Unai Etxebarria (VEN)  Thomas Dekker (NED)  Antonio Colom (ESP)
2008  Philippe Gilbert (BEL)  Graeme Brown (AUS)  Gert Steegmans (BEL)  José Joaquín Rojas (ESP)  Philippe Gilbert (BEL)
Year Trofeo Palma de Mallorca Trofeo Cala Millor Trofeo Calvia Trofeo Pollença Trofeo Inca
2009  Gert Steegmans (BEL)  Robbie McEwen (AUS)  Gerald Ciolek (GER)  Daniele Bennati (ITA)  Antonio Colom (ESP)
Year Trofeo Palma de Mallorca Trofeo Cala Millor Trofeo Deià Trofeo Magaluf-Palmanova Trofeo Inca
2010  Robbie McEwen (AUS)  Óscar Freire (ESP)  Rui Costa (POR)  André Greipel (GER)  Linus Gerdemann (GER)
2011 No winner[Note 1]  Tyler Farrar (USA)  José Joaquín Rojas (ESP)  Murilo Fischer (BRA)  Ben Hermans (BEL)
Year Trofeo Palma de Mallorca Trofeo Migjorn Trofeo Deià Trofeo Pollença Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana
2012  Andrew Fenn (GBR)  Andrew Fenn (GBR)  Lars Petter Nordhaug (NOR) Not raced[Note 2] Cancelled[Note 3]
Year Trofeo Palma de Mallorca Trofeo Campos Trofeo Deià Trofeo Platja de Muro Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana
2013  Kenny Dehaes (BEL)  Leigh Howard (AUS) Not raced  Leigh Howard (AUS)  Alejandro Valverde (ESP)
Year Trofeo Palma Trofeo Ses Salines Trofeo Deià Trofeo Muro-Port d'Alcúdia Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana
2014  Sacha Modolo (ITA)  Sacha Modolo (ITA) Not raced  Gianni Meersman (BEL)  Michał Kwiatkowski (POL)
Year Trofeo Santanyi-Ses Salines-Campos Trofeo Andratx – Mirador d’Es Colomer Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana Trofeo Playa de Palma Not raced since
2015  Matteo Pelucchi (ITA)  Steve Cummings (GBR)  Alejandro Valverde (ESP)  Matteo Pelucchi (ITA)
Year Trofeo Felanitx-Ses Salines-Campos-Porreres Trofeo Pollenca-Port de Andratx Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana Trofeo Playa de Palma
2016  André Greipel (GER)  Gianluca Brambilla (ITA)  Fabian Cancellara (SUI)  André Greipel (GER)
Year Trofeo Porreres-Felanitx-Ses Salines-Campos Trofeo Andratx – Mirador d'Es Colomer Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana Trofeo Playa de Palma
2017  André Greipel (GER)  Tim Wellens (BEL)  Tim Wellens (BEL)  Daniel McLay (GBR)
Year Trofeo Porreres-Felanitx-Ses Salines-Campos Trofeo Andratx – Mirador d'Es Colomer Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana Trofeo Playa de Palma
2018  John Degenkolb (GER)  Toms Skujiņš (LAT)  Tim Wellens (BEL)  John Degenkolb (GER)
Year Trofeo Ses Salines-Campos-Porreres-Felanitx Trofeo Andratx Lloseta Trofeo de Tramuntana Soller-Deia Trofeo Palma
2019  Jesús Herrada (ESP)  Emanuel Buchmann (GER)  Tim Wellens (BEL)  Marcel Kittel (GER)
Year Trofeo Felanitx-Ses Salines-Campos-Porreres Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana Trofeo Pollença – Port d’Andratx Trofeo de Playa de Palma-Palma
2020  Matteo Moschetti (ITA)  Emanuel Buchmann (GER)  Marc Soler (ESP)  Matteo Moschetti (ITA)
Notes
  1. The race, won by Tyler Farrar, is not officially recognized by the UCI because of a large protest from riders..
  2. Event reduced to 4 single-day races in 2012 due to financial problems.
  3. Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.
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