At 6.30 on Saturday morning, some 8,000 cyclists set off on the twelfth Mallorca 312 from Playa de Muro. The mayor of Muro, Miquel Porquer, cut the ribbon for the start, and Muro's demons were among those to see the cyclists on their way.
On a sunny and warm day in Mallorca, the first finisher to return to Playa de Muro was German Anton Albrecht (4 hours, 37 minutes and 27 seconds). There are three challenges/races in all, and he took part in the shortest - the 167 kilometre route. Lydia Boylan from Ireland won the women's 167.
The first cyclist back for the longest route, the 312 kilometres, was Olivier Godfroid of Belgium. Among the thousands of other finishers were former professional cyclists, such as Alberto Contador, Ivan Basso, Sean Kelly and Miguel Induráin. Ivan Basso said after finishing: "I have enjoyed it very much. The scenery was spectacular and the atmosphere was incredible."