Jan Christen, of UAE Team Emirates XRG, is the first Visit Algarve Yellow Jersey in the Volta ao Algarve, after winning the second stage of the Algarvia on Thursday.
Portuguese João Almeida, Christen’s teammate, still threatened the win with an impressive final stretch, but the race didn’t get away from the Swiss rider.
Algarvia headed to Lagoa this morning, from where a peloton of 173 riders set off for Alto da Foia, a 177.6-kilometer route that culminated at the highest point in the Algarve.
It didn’t take long to see the first attacks, even in the city in the district of Faro: at kilometer three there were already moves, but it wasn’t until km nine that a breakaway formed.
Four cyclists increased the pace, another five joined shortly after and a group was formed – with the exception of the Portuguese Iuri Leitão (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), who soon gave up on the idea – of eight elements that led the race for several kilometers.
Well into the second half of the stage, the breakaway began to crumble, while the top teams in the bunch set the pace to get to the front.
One by one, the riders fell behind, and the race broke up for good at the start of the climb to Marmelete, one of the three mountain passes in the last 50,000 meters of the race – and the last of the first three that were won by Nicolás Tivani (Aviludo – Louletano – Loulé), one of the breakaways who most animated the race before the final part.
As the slopes got steeper, the main contenders for victory in the General Classification went to the front, in a group that included names like João Almeida, Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) or Primož Roglič (Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe).
It was Jan Christen, however, who put on a show. The young Swiss rider’s attacks broke up this group, with Neilson Powless (EF Education-Easy Post), Lucas Vergallito (Alpecin-Deuceninck) and Laurens De Plus (INEOS Grenadiers) still following him for a few minutes, They couldn’t keep up, though.
Only João Almeida, in an impressive final run, managed to catch up with his teammate, in a finish full of fair play and dominated by UAE Team Emirates XRG.
“I’m very happy and very grateful to the team, especially João Almeida and António Morgado, who protected me in the last ten kilometers. It wouldn’t have been possible without the team. I know that António Morgado and João Almeida are very happy for me, we get on very well (…) We pull for each other and that’s what makes our team so strong”, said Christen after the stage.
On the second day of the Volta ao Algarve, Jan Christen is the owner of the Yellow Jersey, four seconds ahead of João Almeida in the GC. Laurens De Plus is in third place.
Christen also owns the other jerseys: the Crédito Agrícola Green Jersey – Points, the Save Water Blue Jersey – Mountain and the IPDJ White Jersey – Youth.
The Algarvia caravan heads to Vila Real de Santo António this Friday, where the third stage starts, on a 183.5-kilometer route that ends in Tavira.