Former pro accuses Challenge Mallorca organizers of not paying prize money, after huge race cancellation controversy

This beginning of the 2025 season has been very turbulent, at least in the Challenge Mallorca. The Balearic classics were going well until the Trofeo Andratx The 4th race was suspended due to the dangerous conditions the peloton claimed to be in. This couldn't have been worse for the race organization, and the director was very critic. But now a new controversy is coming out into the open.

Since that, the race director Manuel Hernandez has been involved in all the controversies that have arisen as a result of the suspension of the race when only 25 kilometers had been raced - and dozens of riders had crashed. The strongest of them were some statements where he directly insulted José Joaquín Rojas, sports director of Movistar Team, after the latter stated that there was no one from the organization in the race the riders could effectively communicate with.

But things have not stopped there with the organization of the Challenge Mallorca. Taking advantage of this situation, Rory Sutherland, former cyclist retired in 2020, has used his official X account (formerly known as Twitter) to launch an accusation that the 2023 prize money has not even been payed to the riders at the time being.

"Have they paid the 2023 prize money yet?" Sutherland questioned. "What used to always happen is that we'd start the race and the previous year's prize money hadn't been paid yet. If they want to talk about money," he adds. 

Rory Sutherland replied with this message to another one from cyclist Willie Smit, in which he said: "The organizer admits that the race is dangerous. Everyone knows the Challenge de Mallorca is a ring of ice when wet. Great call from 3 [rider] representatives. But how the hell does the race organizer get mad? Money will never be more important than the safety of the riders. Being a couch potato is easy," said the South African.