First time in 35 years - Challenge Mallorca will host one-day team time trial event

Team time trials were in the past decade underutilized in the top of the cycling world and what once used to be a tradition in Grand Tours became less and less common. However over the past few years, the discipline seems to be having a resurgence, so much so that in 2026, the UCI calendar will feature a one-day race in team time trial format for the first time in 35 years.

This format is rather unique, and is similar to what the Chrono des Nations presents at the end of each season - where riders have a time trial event that does not belong in a stage-race, world, european or any other sort of championships. The race will be taking place in Mallorca alongside the other one-day races that are already well known to the Spanish island at this time of year, and will be taking place from Ses Salines to Colonia de Sant Jordi, on the 29th of January. It is likely to replace one of the traditional events.

The route will be 26 kilometers long and provide teams with a chance to test out their equipment and also provide important training and real-live practice for the discipline, in the occasions where it will be happening throughout the upcoming season. It is no coincidence that the 2026 Tour de France will be starting with a team time trial, and so it is perhaps an attempt to bring in some of the world's top teams and riders to Mallorca to test out their setup and potentially bring in the provisional lineups that will be present in France over the summer.

Tadej Pogacar is likely to start his season at the Tour Down Under, according to Italian journalist Beppe Conti. Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard have no plans yet for their starts of the season, but with Mallorca providing good weather, a good variety of races and a TTT, it could definitely attract some of the men who aim to race the Tour de France with high ambitions later in the summer.