"I arrived too late and from too far"- Marijn van den Berg laments on positioning mistake costing him a winning chance at Volta ao Algarve

Fans at Volta ao Algarve witnessed riders from Benelux countries occupy the podium in the opening stage to Lagos. Behind dominant winner Gerben Thijssen, Marijn van den Berg and Jordi Meeus completed podium. Additionally, young Lars Boven arrived fourth.

The Dutchman was the sprinter on duty at EF Education-EasyPost. "We went full speed on the last hill, followed by a very fast descent," Van den Berg explains the situation to Eurosport. "The team did that very well, because we were up front, which was really necessary."

"Stefan Bissegger tried to do another lead-out, but I had a hard time finding him. In the end I managed to sprint, but I arrived too late and from too far, so I came second…"

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Number three Jordi Meeus, who was recently ill, was also visibly disappointed. "I was there, but to be honest I didn't have the best legs. I felt quite empty after 150 kilometers," he admits.

"Third is not bad, but it is a shame that the form is not there yet. We had a strong headwind in the final, but we went full throttle on the last kick. The headwind also made it a tricky finish. Now the next goal for me is the upcoming sprint opportunity on Friday."

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Volta ao Algarve: Stage 1 sees Gerben Thijssen take sprint victory