To prepare for the season, Frederik Wandahl spent much of the winter in Mallorca. At the first stage of the Challenge Mallorca – the Trofeo Calvià – the Dane made the most of this “almost” home advantage and secured an impressive fourth place.
After a highly aggressive 149-kilometer one-day race filled with attacks, Wandahl made his move 23 kilometers from the finish, going all-in. With a determined acceleration, he broke away from the lead group and quickly built a gap of more than 20 seconds. For over ten kilometers, the 23-year-old rode solo at the front, but he was ultimately unable to hold off the chasing competitors. Twelve kilometers from the finish, Italy’s Christian Scaroni caught up, followed later by Jan Christen (Switzerland) and António Morgado (Portugal). In the end, Wandahl finished a strong fourth behind Christen, Scaroni, and Morgado—proving that his winter training on the Balearic island had paid off.
“I felt really good and knew the course all the way to the finish, so I just went for it. But in the final kilometer, I didn’t have the legs to respond,” said the Dane at the finish. Despite his strong performance, there was a hint of disappointment in his words: “With legs like these, I was hoping for a little more, but I gave it my all. A fourth place is a super good start into the season. In any case, I want to thank the team for their support—it was fantastic.”
With Roger Adrià (10th), another Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider secured a spot in the top ten. Adrien Boichis also put in a strong performance: The Frenchman, making his debut in a pro race alongside the WorldTour squad as part of the U23 team Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe Rookies, crossed the finish line in 28th place.
Photo: @gettysport