The 25-year-old is now the most successful Dutch rider in the history of the Volta ao Algarve.
Fabio Jakobsen powered to another crushing sprint win, giving absolutely no chance to his rivals and taking a commanding lead in the points standings ahead of the weekend. Already victorious on the opening stage of the competition, Jakobsen doubled his tally in Faro – where the long stage 3 concluded – and delivered the Wolfpack’s seventh win of the season, putting us again at the top of the team victory classification.
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl expertly controlled the breakaway on Friday’s 211.4km stage, and despite another hectic finale, once again emerged at the front of the peloton at the right moment. After Yves Lampaert, Kasper Asgreen and white jersey Remco Evenepoel peeled off the front one by one in the closing kilometers, Bert Van Lerberghe dropped Jakobsen off in a perfect position, and the “Hurricane of Heukelum” unleashed a trademark devastating sprint in the final 200 meters, adding another notch to his belt.
“Winning is always nice. Even though we missed Tim Declercq, who is out with gastrointestinal problems, we still went for it and the guys did a perfect job, for which I am grateful. They were there the entire day, setting the tempo in the bunch and making sure I was protected all the time.”
“Coming into the last roundabout, I was ideally placed, just behind Bert, and at 200 meters to go, I decided to open my sprint. I knew there was an uphill drag to the line, but I felt good and had the power to maintain the speed all the way to the finish. Considering where I was this time last year, taking my fourth win in just three weeks feels pretty special. These victories help me build my confidence for the big goals that I have later in the season”, said the first Dutchman in history to amass four stage wins at the Volta ao Algarve.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
