UAE Team Emirates supporters got another reason to celebrate as Ryan Gibbons clinched victory at Trofeo Calvia, part of the four-day Challenge Mallorca series.
After a difficult day for UAE Team Emirates at the Giro d’Italia, where Joe Dombrowski retired from the race after suffering a concussion in a crash on stage 5, Gibbons boosted the squad’s morale.
Gibbons put in a heroic effort with a long-range attack that ended with him holding on to win a two-man sprint after 168.7km in the saddle.
In what was a tough course featuring 3,400 metres of climbing, Gibbons set out on the attack with 70km to go in a group of seven riders, which was whittled down to just two, with Anthony Delaplace (Arkea-Samsic) the other member of the remaining breakaway.
The African Continental Champion outpaced the Frenchman in the final dash to the line, lifting his arms in celebration, with the main group a further 41’’ behind the pair.
The win marks the 11th triumph of the year for UAE Team Emirates and Gibbons’ first road race victory since becoming African Continental Champion.
“I’m really thrilled with this victory," said Gibbons. "It was a really tough day and I was definitely feeling it in the legs at the end, but I knew when it came down to a two-up sprint I had a good chance. I’m very grateful to get the win. We have three more races here in Mallorca this week, so we’re really motivated to do well in them all.”
