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Dani Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe) scored a rare victory over favourite Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) to take the lead of the Volta ao Algarve on stage 2 atop the Alto da Fóia.
Evenepoel was the first to attack inside 300 metres to the line but Martínez was keen to the move and jumped straight onto his wheel before powering past to snatch the victory.
Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) out-sprinted Martínez’s teammate Sergio Higuita for third, six seconds behind with Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek) following Jan Tratnik (Visma-Lease a Bike) across the line at eight seconds.
“We faced some difficult rivals but everyone did a fantastic job,” Martínez said. “In the final, in the sprint, I had good legs and I won it well.”
The 2023 champion of the Volta ao Algarve didn’t face Evenepoel last year but is ready to defend his lead over the next three stages.
“I came with the mentality of doing well again this year but the riders here are on good form,” he said. “Today was an important stage. We got through it well and so we’re ready for the next few days. Marco Haller, my teammate fell yesterday and Alex Hajek abandoned but we’ll still work together 100%.”
How it unfolded
With 171.9km on tap and a finish on the 7.4km Alto da Fóia, stage 2 of the Volta ao Algarve was not a day for race leader and stage 1 winner Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Wanty).
After a quick start in Lagoa, a breakaway of seven emerged with a lead of three minutes. In the group were Max Walker (Astana Qazaqstan) and Martin Urianstad (Uno-X Mobility) with Continental riders Pedro Silva (ABTF Betão-Feirense), Rúben Simão (AP Hotels & Resorts-Tavira-SC Farense), Aleksandr Grigorev (Efapel), Oliver Rees (Sabgal-Anicolor) and César Martingil (Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mortágua).
The leaders stretched their advantage to nearly five minutes before Soudal-QuickStep and Intermarché-Wanty picked up the pace to keep them at a more reasonable distance.
Grigorev led the breakaway over the first climb, the Alto da Choça after 77.7km and the leaders continued to dangle around four minutes ahead of the peloton.
With 72km to go on a rolling section of the course, two riders from Uno-X, Andreas Lekneussund and Jonas Abrahamsen, attacked to bridge across to their teammate. It took them the better part of 13km but they made it before the valley leading into the triple climbing assault in the final 30km.
Riders faced climbs at Alferce and a short but steep climb at Pomba and a sprint in Monchique before the final ascent.
Before they could reach the first of the climbs, Simão and Silva lost contact when the Uno-X trio began drilling it as the gap to the peloton fell to 2:30. As the breakaway hit the first climb, Silva and Martingil also had to let go, leaving Walker, Lekneussund, Abrahamsen, Urianstad, Rees and Grigorev.
After burying himself for Leknessund and with the gap falling to one minute, Abrahamsen lost touch with the lead group, then Grigorev followed, and later Rees.
With 17km to go on the Pomba, Leknessund launched his attack and left Walker and teammate Urianstad behind.
As he crested the Pomba with 13.7km to go, Leknessund had only 2km of descending to hold off the Soudal-QuickStep train which had picked up the last of his former breakaway companions before the Alto da Fóia.
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) set the pace in the now much-reduced peloton, bringing the gap down to 23 seconds as Leknessund picked up the time bonus in Monchique and headed up the final climb, and then Soudal-QuickStep finally ended the Norwegian’s misery with 6km to go.
James Knot and Mikel Landa led the way into the final two kilometres with Kuss in between them and Evenepoel.
Landa continued to reduce the lead group and, after they hit 300m to go, Evenepoel opened up his sprint but Martínez was just too fast and took the stage.
Results
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