Finnish rider Lotta Henttala (EF Education-Oatly) has won the Trofeu Marratxí-Felanitx, the first of the events that make up the II Garden Hotels-Luxcom Challenge Ciclista Mallorca for women. Henttala won the sprint in the peloton, ahead of Italian Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM Zondacrypto) and Canadian Maggie Coles-Lyster (Human Powered Health).
A total of 107 riders took the start in Marratxí to open this second edition of the women’s Challenge. Ahead of them, 129 kilometres. Soon, at kilometre eight, the breakaway of the day was formed, with the local rider Marina Garau (Spanish National Team), the Afghan Fariba Hashimi (Ceratizit), the Belgian Julie Sap (Velopro) and the Italian Monica Castagna (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo).
The four of them understood each other and maintained a gap over the group, sharing the various intermediate steps, until reaching a maximum advantage of four minutes at kilometre 90. Then, the teams with sprinters accelerated the pace in the peloton and neutralised the breakaway nine kilometres from the finish.
At the finish, Henttala was the first to come out of the curve that led to the finish straight and she imposed herself with authority, with a time of 3h13’29”.
Tomorrow the second race of this Challenge will be held, the Palma Trophy (Castell de Bellver), with 129.5 kilometres.