The College of Commissaires of the 51st Volta ao Algarve has taken the decision to cancel the first stage of the race. On the approach to the finish line in Lagos, the peloton became divided and a large number of the riders took the wrong route, followed the detour of the support cars and missed the finish line.

“The College of Commissaires interpreted the regulations and, given what happened, decided to cancel the stage because they considered that sporting truth did not prevail in the end. All the technical information was clear that the runners should go left at the last roundabout. The fact is that some of them took the right, in a lane parallel to the finish line. It was a wrong decision by the peloton but it’s clear that we didn’t do enough to avoid this outcome, which we very much regret,” explained Sérgio Sousa, director of the Volta ao Algarve.

In view of the stage’s neutralization, the peloton will set off this Thursday for the 2nd stage of the Volta ao Algarve with the clock reset to zero. The stage links Lagoa to Alto da Fóia (Monchique), covering 177.6 kilometers.