"Not that there's ever a good moment but it certainly wasn't the best" - Nightmare puncture spells disaster for Magnus Sheffield at the Volta ao Algarve

After his brilliant time-trial on Saturday's stage 4, individual time-trial, INEOS Grenadiers' Magnus Sheffield came into the final stage full of optimism at the Volta ao Algarve. Sadly, an awfully timed puncture ended any hopes the American may have had.

"Unfortunately, I just punctured the front wheel at a really bad moment in the race," Sheffield told Cycling News in a post-stage interview. "Not that there's ever a good moment but it certainly wasn't the best, it was right before we came into the final climb for the first time. Luckily 'G' [Geraint Thomas] was able to give me his bike, so I rode that for a bit, and then I could switch back onto my bike and chase."

Despite Sheffield's best efforts, his puncture had dealt a final blow to his hopes for the stage. "Unfortunately, that's part of racing," he laments. "I think I owed it to my teammates and team, you can't just give up like that. It's not over til it's over."

"Yeah, I can be happy with my preparation, I still miss a bit, especially on the second climb. So I have some lessons to learn from this race, but I'm just excited for the rest of the season," concludes the 21-year-old with some remaining optimism.