The 14th the Challenge Illes Balears is taking place now on the island of Mallorca. Mallorca has been a popular spot for cyclists to train in the winter for many years now. It takes place from February 6th and while there is an overall winner it is not a stage race as we often think of one. The Challenge while still a UCI race is setup to accommodate the training of the riders so they don’t have to race every day. So no UCI points for the overall winner, and it is viewed as a series of one-day races. Teams bring up to 15 riders, but only10 may start each stage.
The first 2 stage of this years edition were won in sprint finishes by current World Champ Oscar Freire. Freire was supposed to not even start stage 3; however he did start, but failed to reach the mountain top finish. Italian star Bettini did not even start the stage. Apparently he has been bothered by some throat problems for a few weeks. Stage 3 was won today by Alejandro Valverde his first win for the Illes Balears team. Valverde will be riding the Tour de France for the first time this year as well as the major classics.
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