Thalita de Jong began her 2026 season scoring seventh place at the end of the 128.8 km Trofeo Marratxi-Felanitx, the first leg of the Challenge Mallorca.
De Jong showed significant resolve, having been distanced on the 5.1 km at 6.5%, finishing Puig de Sant Salvador climb, the 32-year-old fought to get back to the chasing group, who were vying for the podium behind race winner Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ).
“I think I can be proud of myself after such a hard year,” de Jong said afterwards. “I did not know to the full extent what I was able to do today, especially starting the race with echelons predicted, and then the final hard climb made it not so easy. But we have seen great teamwork today with us all committed to the team goal.”
The result marks a return for de Jong, who in the summer of 2025 suffered from a season-ending illness.
“I had ad a long recovery after my bad illness from last summer, so we had to be careful and make baby steps every week,” explained de Jong in our race preview. “We were going into these races with the idea for the team to make it a good training block.”
As expected, the wind in the valley also had an impact on the race, with Austrian champion Kathrin Schweinberger atop her Factor ONE aero bike, covering moves and joining a small split.
“The legs burned in the echelons, so I needed time to recover from that,” explains de Jong. “I have not been used to the stress in the peloton, the wind, the really high speed with moments, you can not train this. So, Titia and I both didn’t know quite how the final climb would go,
UAE Team ADQ then set a relentless pace on the final climb with Squiban dancing away with Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team) under the Flamme Rouge. De Jong rode at her own pace, did not panic, and would eventually remake contact with group two.
“The speed towards the city and the climb was so high that I started a little too far in the back, and there I lost the connection with the first 6 riders,” says de Jong. “I rode my own strong pace, and riders behind did not catch me, so the rhythm was good, and I almost came back, but they sprinted for the line, and I couldn’t go deeper.”
Elsewhere, Titia Ryo had a strong first race for the team, finishing in 15th place, with Yurani Blanco also taking the prize for highest Mallorcan rider.
“We can be really happy with the result, and how the team worked today, so this gives confidence for the next days,” ended de Jong.
Tomorrow, the team takes on the second race of the series, Trofeo Llucmajor. It’s earmarked for a sprint, but by no means does that mean it’s an easy ride. With a total elevation of 1,285, the rolling four-lap circuit has a certain sting.
Trofeo Marratxi-Felanitx results
1 SQUIBAN Maeva – UAE Team ADQ 3:12:39
2 REUSSER Marlen – Movistar Team ”
3 PERSICO Silvia – UAE Team ADQ 0:30
4 HAUGSET Sigrid Ytterhus – Uno-X Mobility 0:31
5 SWINKELS Karlijn – UAE Team ADQ ”
6 EMOND Clara – St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93 ”
7 DE JONG Thalita – Human Powered Health 0:37
8 OTTESTAD Mie Bjørndal – Uno-X Mobility 0:45
9 SILVESTRI Debora – Laboral Kutxa – Fundación Euskadi 1:05
10 MARKUS Riejanne – Lidl – Trek 1:15
Photos: GettySport
