Countdown to the start of the 51st Volta ao Algarve. Starting next Wednesday, 175 riders representing 25 teams will take to the roads of the Algarve.
The pre-start list presents a luxury peloton for the five days of competition. From Portimão to Alto do Malhão (Loulé), almost 750 kilometers will be covered.
STARS
João Almeida is UAE Team Emirates – XRG’s star and one of the favorites to win. The Portuguese rider arrives from the Volta ao Comunidad Valenciana after finishing 2nd and will be supported by his compatriots Rui Oliveira, Ivo Oliveira and António Morgado.
Jonas Vingegaard has chosen the Algarve to start the new season. The two-time Tour champion (2022 and 2023) will be racing the race for the first time in his career. Alongside the dane will be Wout van Aert, one of today’s most versatile cyclists, in an ambitious Team Visma | Lease a Bike that is coming to Portugal to win.
Another candidate for victory in the 51st Volta ao Algarve is Primož Roglič. The Slovenian, in his second season with Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, returns to the same stage where he won in 2017. That was his first major international achievement before winning the Vuelta four times (2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024) and the Giro (2023).
Julian Alaphilippe will also be at the start in Portimão. The two-time world champion (2020 and 2021) is in Portugal for the first time and is making his stage race debut in the Tudor Pro Cycling Team jersey.
Biniam Girmay’s presence in the Volta ao Algarve is also a debut. The Eritrean, who won three stages in the 2024 Tour and won the points classification, comes to Portugal looking to win stages. The finishes in Lagos, Tavira and Faro are on the list of objectives for the Intermarché – Wanty rider.
Geraint Thomas, who is used to the Algarve’s roads, is making his seventh and final appearance. The British INEOS Grenadiers rider, who has won the Volta ao Algarve twice (2015 and 2016), will end his career at the end of 2025.
Also noteworthy is the inclusion of three more portuguese riders from the international peloton on the pre-registration list: Iuri Leitão (Caja Rural) will be racing the 51st Volta ao Algarve with the taste of the gold medals he won at the European Track Championships. Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain – Victorious) will be riding for the first time on home soil in the colors of his new team. And Rui Costa (EF Education – EasyPost), who is always one of the cyclists most loved by the public, who won’t forget the world title he won in 2013.
ROUTE
The 51st edition of the Volta ao Algarve features a new route.
The race, which starts in Portimão, promises strong emotions right up to the last pedal strokes, which will once again finish at the top of Malhão, in the municipality of Loulé, but for the first time in a time trial.
A completely new stage has also been created with the finish in Faro and the arrival in Fóia, Monchique, will be more demanding than in recent years.
– Official book of the 51st Volta ao Algarve available here
– List of pre-entries available here