"Hopefully we can put it behind us from today and continue with the race" - Volta ao Algarve director looking to move on from stage 1 debacle
Cycling
After the chaos, confusion and controversy that ended stage 1 of the 2025 Volta ao Algarve, race director Sérgio Sousa will be hoping for a much calmer day today. Although the results of the 1st stage were ultimately cancelled, stage 2 continues today in Portugal with the first GC test of the race.
In case you somehow missed it, heading into the final straight for the bunch sprint, a large majority of the peloton took a wrong turning, going off route and being left helplessly on the wrong side of the barriers as INEOS Grenadiers' Filippo Ganna sprinted to the victory almost all on his own. “Unfortunately, a few details went wrong,” says race director Sousa with an understatement, in pre-stage 2 quotes collected by HLN. “It’s not one big mistake, but two or three small mistakes together. The organization and the bikes are responsible for that, but also the riders. They knew the roadbook and we had already given them the right information. Everyone is to blame to some extent.”
Now the dust has settled somewhat, both Sousa and the race itself are keen to move on from the whole debacle. "We didn't have enough signalers to keep everything on track at that specific point. But hopefully we can put it behind us from today and continue with the race," he concludes.
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"I can promise you it's one bike race!"
— Eurosport (@eurosport) February 19, 2025
The moment where the peloton went the wrong way during the first stage at the Volta ao Algarve 🫣 pic.twitter.com/yGjOac8vUR
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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