January 28, 2026
Portuguese talent sprints to victory on his twenty-second birthday, with the UAE Team Emirates-XRG man pipping Héctor Álvarez to the win in Spain
Celebrating his 22nd birthday in style, António Morgado stormed to a spectacular victory at the Trofeo Calvià on Wednesday afternoon. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider bridged across to, and subsequently dropped, the breakaway, before out-sprinting Héctor Álvarez (Spain) to the line in Palmanova.
The first instalment of this week’s Challenge Mallorca was raced under biblical conditions, with barely an inch of the island escaping the downpour. As such, the racing was even more attritional than usual, drawing out a battle to be remembered between Morgado and Álvarez. Just 19 and 22 years old, respectively, the pair put on a show of force on behalf of their generation of young talents.
It may have been a two-up sprint that decided the victory, but their efforts started much earlier in the day as an intense battle ensued between the peloton and the breakaway.
On the first of five race days in Mallorca, the startlist of Trofeo Calvià was out to impress. First impressions are few and far between, and the riders in Spain were determined to make theirs a good one for 2026. As such, the breakaway was made up of a powerful group, each of whom showed impressive legs in the finale as Morgado and Álvarez looked to make their move.
Surviving the tough and relentless short climbs that made up the race on Wednesday, Adrien Boichis (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Ådne Holter (Uno-X Mobility), and Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost) held an advantage of well over a minute and a half heading into the penultimate categorised ascent of the day. With a little under 40km to ride, the race victory in many ways looked to be theirs for the taking.
Sensing that the day had started to get away from the peloton, Morgado took his leave from the pack with 33km to go. It was a violent acceleration from the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider, who was still wearing his rain jacket, such was the state of conditions in Mallorca. As his rear wheel disappeared from sight, so did the chance of victory for the peloton.
Only Álvarez, turning out for the Spanish national team, could eventually show his face and force his way across to Morgado, with the pair joining together in pursuit of the three men who remained at the head of the race. As for Boichis, Holter and Steinhauser, their lead was a minute and a half as they began to make their way up the Coll de sa Gramola (3.1km at 5.2%).
Hot on their heels, Morgado and Álvarez made such a dent in the trio’s advantage on the climb that, within a couple of kilometres of the descent, three had become five at the head of the bike race. In turn, Morgado and Álvarez showed no hesitation in asserting their authority as the final climb approached. The Coll de Soma, with its 5% average over 2.6km, offered fertile ground to make a definitive attack.
That move came first from the Spaniard, swiftly followed by Morgado, and the pair were soon alone off the front. Despite their best efforts, the surviving members of the breakaway could find no answers, and it was left to Morgado and Álvarez to contest the day’s honours. With nothing to separate the two, their battle rumbled on into a sprint finish in Palmanova.
As Morgado got the better of the 19-year-old, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates were finishing off a great day behind. Sticking to their task, Nils Politt and Rune Herregodts both finished inside the top 10 on their first race day of the season, coming home in eighth and ninth, respectively.
Morgado: “I feel good. The goal of the season is always to win a race, and now I have one. It was a super hard day, super cold all day, but normally I feel good in these conditions so I am happy.
“Today is a special day, and I am happy to give this gift to myself. This race, with this weather, I know I can feel good because this is my type of weather. Last year, I tried too many times and this year I knew I just needed to try one time and then go away. It was important to keep easy in the bunch and then when I need to attack, I attack.
“It started to feel in the bunch that we did not have the power to close the gap, so I knew I needed to make my move.
“We played the game, but Héctor (Álvarez) did a great race. Like me, he deserved to win, it was really 50/50 so I am happy for my victory. The next races are a little bit more for the climbers, but we can look forward to them as well.”
Trofeo Calvià 2026 results:
- António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 3:41:36
- Héctor Álvarez (Spain) s.t
- Ådne Holter (Uno-X Mobility) +40″
