The Belgian finished ninth in his first race of the season.
Sunny Mallorca welcomed the peloton for the traditional five-day series taking place each year at the end of January. The first of this, the 150.1km Trofeo Calvia – taking place over a hilly course around the town of Palmanova – marked for seven of our riders their first appointment of the year. Among those to don the Soudal Quick-Step jersey Wednesday afternoon were also two of our new members, Gianni Moscon and Pepijn Reinderink, but also Leander Van Hautegem, the Belgian who this year competes for the Devo Team.
The race followed its usual pattern until 70 kilometers to go, when a strong group zipped clear from the peloton, setting out in pursuit of the small breakaway that had animated things since the start. After bridging across, another selection was made, leaving only three men at the front, and despite the chase from behind, they managed to arrive at the finish, where Simon Carr (EF Education-EasyPost) prevailed.
For our team it wasn’t the easiest of days, with Gianni Moscon crashing – fortunately without serious consequences – and Ilan Van Wilder the best rider home, in ninth place. Sports director Iljo Keisse talked about this at the end of the day: “It was a very tough race. We wanted more but it wasn’t possible. The guys at the front were really strong, while we had a bit of bad luck. On the other hand, Ilan showed a good form by coming in the top ten, and we hope for some better results in the coming days here.”
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
