The 47th Volta ao Algarve will take place from 5 to 9 May, over 765.8 kilometers, spread over five stages. The race starts in Lagos and ends at the top of Malhão, in the municipality of Loulé. Two stages have a mountain finish, others are suitable for sprinters and an individual time trial completes the menu.
The inaugural stage will be for sprinters, starting in Lagos and ending in Portimão, after covering 189.5 kilometers. The final part of the trip, along the coast, promises to offer fantastic images of the Algarve beaches.
Portimão, which has welcomed the start of the Volta ao Algarve in recent years, has not received an end of stage since 2012, the year when Bradley Wiggins imposed himself in a time trial, months before winning the Tour de France.
The second stage starts in Sagres, Vila do Bispo, and ends at the highest point of the Algarve, Fóia, in Monchique, after 182.8 kilometers. The riders will face an accumulated ascent of 4100 meters. Three mountains in the last 30 kilometers promise to warm up the fight for the GC. The finish line coincides with a first category mountain. The climb from Monchique to Fóia (7.5 km with 7.3 percent average slope). 6.2 kilometers from the beginning of the Fóia climb, the riders will pass through Pomba, a second category climb with 3.6 kilometers and an average slope of 8.2 percent. The third category, in Alferce (5.7 km at 6.2 percent), 26.4 kilometers from the finish, marks the start of the hard phase of the journey.
The Fóia will be the first opportunity for candidates for the yellow jersey to show themselves, in a climb in which, in the last three years, the stage winner also became the winner of the Volta ao Algarve: Michal Kwiatkowski, in 2018, Tadej Pogačar, in 2019, and Remco Evenepoel, in 2020.
On the third day, the sprinters will once again be called to play a leading role, on a journey that begins in Faro, travels through the interior of the Sotavento and the Algarve border before ending in the heart of Tavira. It will be the longest trip in the competition, with 203.1 kilometers.
The fourth stage will be very important in scaling up the overall classification. It is the individual time trial of Lagoa, which will have the same route, of 20.3 kilometers, already covered in the three most recent editions of the race.
The fifth and final stage is a 170.1 km connection between Albufeira and the top of Malhão, in the municipality of Loulé, where the goal coincides with a second category mountain prize.
The ride to Malhão offers a cumulative ascent of 3280 meters, and a final hour of race that resembles a classic, with short but steep climbs, with a succession of demanding ascents, before the climb of Malhão (2.6 kilometers with an average slope of 9.2 percent). The rest of the climbs are in Vermelhos (3.2 km at 5.9 percent, 43.1 km from the finish), Plumeira (1 km at 14 percent, 32.2 km from the finish line) and Alte (2.1 km at 5 percent, 14 km from the end).
STAGES
5/05/2021: Lagos – Portimão, 189,5 km
6/05/2021: Sagres – Fóia, 182,8 km
7/05/2021: Faro – Tavira, 203,1 km
8/05/2021: Lagoa – Lagoa, 20,3 km (ITT)
9/05/2021: Albufeira – Malhão, 170,1 km
LAST WINNERS
Portimão
2012 – Bradley Wiggins (Sky)
2011 – Tony Martin (HTC-High Road)
2010 – Luis León Sánchez (Caisse d’Epargne)
2009 – Heinrich Haussler (Cervélo Test Team)
2008 – Bernhard Eisel (Team Columbia)
Fóia
2020 – Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-Quick-Step)
2019 – Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)
2018 – Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky)
2017 – Daniel Martin (QuickStep-Floors)
2016 – Luis León Sánchez (Astana)
Tavira
2020 – Cees Bol (Team Sunweb)
2019 – Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jumbo-Visma)
2018 – Dylan Groenewegen (Team LottoNL-Jumbo)
2017 – André Greipel (Lotto Soudal)
2016 – Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep)
Lagoa
2020 – Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-Quick-Step)
2019 – Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ)
2018 – Geraint Thomas (Team Sky)
2013 – Theo Bos (Blanco)
2012 – Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky)
Malhão
2020 – Miguel Ángel López (Astana Pro Team)
2019 – Zdenek Štybar (Deceuninck-Quick Step)
2018 – Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky)
2017 – Amaro Antunes (W52-FC Porto)
2016 – Alberto Contador (Tinkoff)
Volta ao Algarve
2020 – Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-QuickStep)
2019 – Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)
2018 – Michal Kwiatkowski (Team SKY)
2017 – Primož Roglič (Team Lotto NL-Jumbo)
2016 – Geraint Thomas (Team SKY)
2015 – Geraint Thomas (Team SKY)
2014 – Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-QuickStep)
2013 – Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep)
2012 – Richie Porte (Team SKY)
2011 – Tony Martin (HTC-Highroad)