Maggie Coles-Lyster made it a debut to remember in Mallorca, lunging herself over the line to score third place at Trofeo Marratxi-Felanitx.
“That was exciting, to be with a team that I am immediately comfortable in, and you can put trust in the athletes. It is such a cool feeling,” the 25-year-old said afterward. “That’s the key. Knowing that you have teammates can get you into the right place at the right time. What an exciting way to start.”
Positioning herself well for a crucial final left-hand bend, the former Canadian champion held her line in the finale, edging out Linda Zanetti (Uno-X Mobility) on a bike throw to ensure the podium at the end of the 129.1 km race.
“We planned to be in the front at the final roundabout with 500 meters to go and be in the top two for that final corner,” she explained. “It worked exactly as planned. Lily [Williams] got me in position and I hopped on to EF’s train. It felt like a long 150 meters, I had no idea who was coming from behind so I just put my head down and it worked out.”
Coles-Lyster could count on her teammates throughout the day with Thalita de Jong, Romy Kasper, Daria and Wiktoria Pikulik all playing crucial roles in reeling in the day’s four-rider breakaway.
“I told Romy afterward that there should be a movie called ‘Everybody Loves Romy’ because following her around, she gets so much respect and it makes the job easier,” she said. “Whether I’m the sprinter or final lead-out, having athletes who can keep you in position and ride their hearts out for you all day is super beneficial.”
The Canadian’s next goal will be at the WorldTour UAE Tour Women, where she will link up with Kathrin Schweinberger, who also sprinted to a podium on debut in Australia.
“Seeing that this lead-out works and seeing how it worked for Kathrin Down Under, I know that we’re going to have a fire squad for UAE,” she said. “We’re going in with a great leadout that can accomplish great things this year. UAE can be hella chaotic so having adaptable riders that have the strength excites me.”
Next up in Mallorca is the hilly Trofeo Palma Femina. Check out our race preview for more details.
Trofeo Marratxi-Felanitx result
1 HENTALLA Lotta – EF Education-Oatly 3:13:30
2 CONSONNI Chiara – CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto ”
3 COLES-LYSTER Maggie – Human Powered Health ”
4 ZANETTI Linda – Uno-X Mobility ”
5 DRUMMOND Michaela – Arkéa – B&B Hotels Women ”
6 VAN ROOIJEN Sofie – UAE Team ADQ ”
7 TOMASI Laura – Laboral Kutxa – Fundación Euskadi ”
8 DE ZOETE Mylène – CERATIZIT Pro Cycling Team ”
9 VAN ‘T GELOOF Marjolein – Arkéa – B&B Hotels Women ”
10 LLOYD Carys – Movistar Team “
Photos: GettySport and Human Powered Health
