Preview Trofeo Calvia 2026 - Scaroni, Matthews and Morgado headline opening Challenge Mallorca race
Cycling
The Trofeo Calvia is the first out of the Challenge Mallorca races and takes place on the 28th of January, starting at 12:25CET and finishing at 16:05CET. We preview the race ahead.
The Trofeo Calvià is one of the most traditional early-season one-day races on the European calendar, kicking off the professional road season on the sun-soaked island of Mallorca each January as part of the Challenge Mallorca. First held in the early 1990s, the race has evolved into a key 1.1-rated event on the UCI Europe Tour and has served as a proving ground for classics specialists and rising stars alike.
Over the years the course has seen many names and slight route tweaks, but the essence remains the same: a demanding loop around Calvià with punchy terrain that rewards aggressive riding and tactical prowess, often. The past decade has continued that tradition of varied winners. In 2021, South African sprinter Ryan Gibbons took the win, while the then-rising American Brandon McNulty produced a memorable long solo move to win in 2022. Portugal’s Rui Costa added his name in 2023 with a fast finish from a select group; In 2024 Simon Carr took the victory for EF Education-EasyPost whilst 2025 saw UAE Team Emirates - XRG's Jan Christen take his fourth pro win also with a solo attack.
This is a 'roller-coaster' race, with 2800 meters of climbing in only 148 kilometers. It starts and finishes in the town of Palmanova and although it does not feature any major climb, the sequence of small ascents is constant and doesn't allow for an organized style of racing. Instead, the explosive course favours attackers, whilst the race can both be won by a small peloton, small group, or often a solo attacker who manages to take advantage of the climbs and also the technical descents.
Profile: Almanova - Almanova
Almanova - Almanova, 148 kilometers
Prediction Trofeo Calvia 2026:
*** Christian Scaroni, Michael Matthews
** António Morgado, Jon Barrenetxea, Pavel Sivakov
* Jon Barrenetxea, Carlos Canal, Lukas Nerurkar, Andrea Vendrame, Magnus Cort Nielsen, Clément Champoussin, Marc Hirschi
** António Morgado, Jon Barrenetxea, Pavel Sivakov
* Jon Barrenetxea, Carlos Canal, Lukas Nerurkar, Andrea Vendrame, Magnus Cort Nielsen, Clément Champoussin, Marc Hirschi
Pick: Christian Scaroni
How: Small group sprint.
Original: Rúben Silva
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- He lives in Monaco
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - It's also highly significant for Lorenzo Finn as he won there last year. Also Mateo Ramírez and Henrique Bravo if they goRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- This is a phenomenal course design. I do wish that they'd stretch these tours for the women to at least 2 weeks.RidesHills03-11-2026
- This is an amazing route, honestly. Let's hope that it attracts riders to make it a compelling and competitive race. Side bar amusement: going to Slovenia and passing pretty close to Pogačar's house. I wonder if they were tempting him to get all 3 jerseys at once after winning the Tour and Vuelta. After all, only a very few have ever had all three at the same time (Froome being the last).RidesHills03-11-2026
- He was a child two years agoRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route aswell. Col d'Arpy is a toughieRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- Let Torito have a shot at itRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horrible. Montaner is also used in the U23s, in Giro del BelvedereRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- I remember when Mark went through that. He was really experiencing lows and thought about quiting many times. It took him a long time to recover. I, like many others were overjoyed when he came back. I hope Lafay has been tested. I wish him the best.Paggss03-11-2026
- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
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