Cor Vos
Hello, hello! Racing continues in Australia, minus the mid-week Surf Coast Classic, which was cancelled on Tuesday due to bushfires in the area. Meanwhile, in Europe, it’s Movistar vs. UAE Team ADQ in Mallorca.
First things first: Movistar vs. UAE Team ADQ, the rest need not apply
While a good portion of the peloton is in Australia for the first WorldTour races of the year, a bunch of WorldTour, ProTeam, and Conti riders are in Mallorca for the Mallorca Challenge.
It’s only the third time the series of three one-day races has taken place for the women, but the events are already attracting some top talent. The opening race, the Trofeo Marratxi-Felanitx, finished with a 4 km long power climb, perfectly suited for Movistar’s Marlen Reusser; however, the finale was dominated by UAE Team ADQ when Maeva Squiban took the final corner and the victory. Squiban had looked the strongest on the climb with multiple attacks and she was supported by Silvia Persico and Karlijn Swinkels, who finished third and fifth, respectively.
Squiban, the winner of two back-to-back Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift stages last year, continues to make a name for herself, also making UAE Team ADQ’s potential leadership problem more daunting.
The following day at the Trofeo Llucmajor, Movistar got revenge. The two teams stacked the winning move that got away thanks to some crosswinds in the final 50 km. The move of 12 (eventually 11 when Linda Zanetti was distanced) included three Movistar riders in Cat Ferguson, Arlenis Sierra, and Aude Biannic, five UAE Team ADQ riders in Sofie van Rooijen, Megan Jastrab, Silvia Persico, Eleonora Gasparrini, and Karlijn Swinkels, two Lidl-Trek riders in Anna Henderson and Clara Copponi, and Susanne Anderson of Uno-X Mobility.
The vast majority of the work was done by Aude Biannic and UAE Team ADQ, with Sierra (back in the peloton after having a baby in 2025) executing a perfect lead-out for Ferguson, who took the win over Copponi and Van Rooijen.
It was a significant victory for the young Brit, who will no doubt be given more chances this year as she continues to find her footing in the elite ranks.
Pay special attention to the final 1.2 km, when UAE Team ADQ line up to lead out Van Rooijen only for Sierra to dive into the final corner and position Ferguson perfectly for the sprint.
In the Trofeo Binissalem-Andratx, the final race of the three, the win swung back to UAE Team ADQ. Victory went to Karlijn Swinkels, who had worked tirelessly for her teammates in the first two races in Mallorca. The Dutchwoman won from a break of eight that also included Liane Lippert and Mie Bjørndal Ottestad, who took second and third. Henderson was also present, yet again.
So after three days of racing in Mallorca, that’s two wins for UAE Team ADQ, one for Movistar, and zero for Lidl-Trek, who was always right there but not quite close enough for a win.
Racing continues…
At the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on Sunday.
The final of the Aussie races (at least on the World stage) takes place on Sunday with the first WWT one-day of the year: the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. Unfortunately, the riders will not be able to race the third edition of the Surf Coast Classic that was set to take place on Wednesday. The event was cancelled on Tuesday due to nearby bushfires and extreme heat. The temperatures in the Torquay area were expected to reach 45°C this week, or 113°F.
According to the organizers, the WorldTour race is expected to proceed as planned.
The course for the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race starts in Geelong, in the same location where the women will finish 145 km later. The race is 3 km longer than last year, but will cover the same decisive finish that includes two laps up Challambra Crescent. The short but steep climb offers a launchpad for selective attacks and always thins out the peloton, but with 9 km still to ride to the finish, there is plenty of room for a select group to form.
Last year, Ally Wollaston won the race ahead of Karlijn Swinkels and Noemi Rüegg. This year, the FDJ United-Suez rider looks to be the favourite to double up victories, after winning two stages of the Tour Down Under. Rüegg also goes into the race a favourite for EF Education-Oatly, as does Ruby Roseman-Gannon of Liv AlUla Jayco, Sarah Van Dam of Visma-Lease a Bike, and Paula Blasi of UAE Team ADQ.
A full start list can be found here.
Heat and wind are expected to play a role in the race overall as well. Temperatures in Australia are boiling, which will make for a long and potentially boring race before the peloton gets back towards Geelong and the final 30 km. Crosswinds have broken the race up in the past and will be welcomed by teams who don’t have a favourite for the win.
Wheel Talk podcast
This week, I was joined by Georgie Howe and friend of the podcast Matilda Raynolds to discuss the impact the new UCI rules have had on the Tour Down Under, now that the race has concluded. We preview the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and chat about the racing in Mallorca.
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