Gerdemann opens season with Mallorca win

Linus Gerdemann (Team Milram) opened his season with a victory on Tuesday, out-sprinting his two breakaway companions to win the Challenge Mallorca's mountainous third stage. In rainy, windy conditions Gerdemann bested Spaniards Rafael Valls (Footon-Servetto) and Manuel Vazquez (Andalucia-Cajasur) to claim the 157.2km Trofeo Inca in a nail-biting finish.

"That was a way to open the new season with a bang," said a happy Gerdemann at the finish. "We put in a super team performance in really bad weather. Especially in light of the very difficult conditions, we showed that we are all top motivated and have big plans for this year."

The trio, along with Gerdemann's teammates Thomas Rohregger and Johannes Fröhlinger, formed the Trofeo Inca's decisive five-man break which went clear on the ascent of the category two Coll de Soller. The leading quintet crossed the summit with a 1:30 lead over the peloton, 56 kilometres from the finish in Inca.

As the escapees began their ascent of the category one Coll de Puig Major, Valls attacked the break and reached the summit with a 20-second lead over Gerdemann and Vazquez with 31 kilometres remaining to the finish.

Valls, a stage winner in Argentina's Tour de San Luis, extended his lead over the two chasers to 30 seconds in the driving rain with 14 kilometres remaining, but Gerdemann and Vazquez refused to throw in the towel.

The German and Spaniard began to claw their way back to Valls, reducing the gap to 20 seconds with eight kilometres remaining. Five kilometres later Valls held a tenuous five-second lead, and the capture was made inside the flamme rouge leading to the three-man sprint won by Gerdemann.

While Gerdemann was ecstatic about his victory, Valls expressed his frustration with the day's outcome.

"I'm a bit pissed off with everything: the final result, not being able to win and not being able to crown all the work done during my 30-kilometre solo ride, having shown I was the strongest today," said Valls.

"I had very good legs during the stage and felt good in the ascent to the Puig Major. I opened a little gap and increased it on the last descent, some turns being a little complicated, but in the end they were closing the gap to me and Matxin decided to let me stop and wait for them with three kilometers left, to play it out in a sprint after seeing we couldn't get to the finish solo.

"We tried to get Gerdemann nervous and pushed all responsibility into him for the lead-out, but the final 400-metre uphill sprint got me with no energy left and I couldn't overtake him."