Soudal Quick-Step’s leader has an important weekend ahead.
After a day in the mountains, the Volta ao Algarve returned close to the coast for a day with bumpy roads, at the end of which the sprinters were expected to fight for the win. Following the new familiar pattern, a group rode away from the peloton and remained at the front of the race until 15 kilometers to go, when they were reeled in.
Just like in the previous years, the bunch sprint in Tavira was very messy, a crash disrupting the lead-out trains inside the last kilometers before the headwind complicated matters for the fast men, most of whom were by themselves after that incident. The win went to Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), while Remco Evenepoel – having escaped the crash – rolled over the line together with most of his Soudal Quick-Step teammates.
Now, the ITT World Champion will switch his attention to Saturday’s 22.2km stage against the clock, which has the potential to bring some significant changes to the general classification. At the moment, Evenepoel sits just four seconds behind the leader of the race, and a solid outing on the roads of Albufeira could move him into the yellow jersey ahead of the iconic finish atop Alto do Malhão.
