Remco Evenepoel adds two races to Mallorca Challenge schedule alongside TTT

Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is set to race three times during the Garden Hotels Challenge Ciclista a Mallorca series, adding two road races to his schedule alongside the already pencilled-in Trofeo Ses Salines where he will make his debut with the German team.

Speaking to Daniel Benson’s Cycling Substack, Evenepoel confirmed that he plans to race the Trofeo Serra Tramuntana on Friday and the Trofeo Andratx-Pollença on Saturday. 

“The schedule is to do the TTT, and then I’ll add Friday and Saturday. That wasn’t the plan, but the weather seems to be okay, and while I’m here, it’s better to race a little bit instead of coming here for just 25 minutes of racing, so I’ll add two more days of racing,” Evenepoel told Daniel Benson.

For the Challenge Mallorca race, each team submits a longlist of riders that they can select from for each event, meaning that the final start lists for each race are not confirmed until late on. Featuring alongside Evenepoel on Red Bull's long list is Florian Lipowitz, Aleksandr Vlasov, Maxim Van Gils, and under-23 world champion Lorenzo Finn.

According to a press release, the German team have stated that "On these days, the team is relying on a mix of riders who were already involved in the first races of the Challenge. The final line-up will be decided after the first races".

Evenepoel indicated to Daniel Benson that he would use the two road races at the weekend to gauge his condition ahead of his stage racing outings next month in Valencia and the UAE Tour.

“That’s the goal. I’m the type of rider who gets better from racing, so that’s actually the goal here,” Evenepoel said. “The parcours here should suit me, and it’s a good up and down terrain that’s always a bit punchy. On Saturday, we have the Puig Major as well, and that’s a long climb. I can find a bit of everything and some answers on how my winter went.”

The big objective of Evenepoel’s season, of course, is the Tour de France, where he will set out as joint leader with Florian Lipowitz. His aim is to better his third-place finish from his Tour debut in 2024.

“My gut says that if everything goes well, then I can be up there to go for that second place, and then it just depends on how strong Tadej [Pogacar] and Jonas [Vingegaard] are for the first place,” he said. 

“My confidence is always quite high, and if we see that the numbers and the feelings are there to try and be up there, then I’m going to go for it, that’s for sure. I think that we’ll have to see if I can make some steps forward this season, and in my shape in general. I hope that will be good enough. Will it be enough? I hope so. It would be my dream and the team’s.”

Evenepoel had already confirmed at the Red Bull media day in December that he would ride the Trofeo Ses Salines on Thursday, which will be held as a team time trial, a first for the event in 35 years. 

The team time trial serves as a perfect opportunity for Evenepoel and his Red Bull teammates to prepare in the discipline as the 2026 Tour de France, which is the Belgian’s big Grand Tour target, kicks off with a 19km team time trial in Barcelona, Spain.

These fixtures mark the first time that Evenepoel will feature in the Challenge Mallorca series in his career and the first time racing on Spanish soil since he crashed out of Itzulia Basque Country in 2024.

Florian Stork (Tudor) was the winner of the Trofeo Serra Tramuntana twelve months ago, whilst the Trofeo Andratx-Pollença was cancelled mid-race due to dangerous conditions.

Here’s a guide on how to watch all the races that make up the 2026 Garden Hotels Challenge Ciclista a Mallorca series. The event kicks off on Wednesday, 28 January with the Trofeo Calvià and concludes on Sunday, 1 February with the Trofeo Palma.