18/02/2024

Remco Evenepoel secures Volta ao Algarve GC as Daniel Martinez takes final stage victory despite long-range raid attempt from Wout van Aert

Remco Evenepoel has secured the overall victory at the 2024 Volta ao Algarve, despite Daniel Martinez taking a brilliant summit victory on the final stage.

With a big, 20-man breakaway going clear, packed with notable names such as Filippo Ganna, Mike Teunissen, Valentin Madouas, Jasper Stuyven, Per Strand Hagenes, Nils Politt, Andreas Leknessund with the best placed on the overall being James Shaw at 3:57.

At 40km to go, the leaders advantage still stood at around 2:30, but with plenty of climbing to go before the finish line was reached, a breakaway victory was far from assured.

In the peloton behind though, things were lighting up and Wout van Aert, who started the day 4th overall was the first to attack, 39km out with the Belgian soon joined by Ben Healy. With 29km to go, they joined the leaders, with the pressure very much on Remco Evenepoel and Soudal - Quick-Step.

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That pressure was telling too because with the chase very much on, Soudal - Quick-Step were burning through their riders at the front of the bunch without really making much of an indent into the timegap.

With 10km to go, the race was quickly approaching the final climb to the finish line. Van Aert, Healy and Gijs Leemreize around 40 seconds ahead of the peloton.

By the bottom of the climb began, that lead had dropped to just 20 seconds from a select group of chasers that included the likes of Evenepoel and Daniel Martinez.

Despite his best efforts, van Aert was the first man dropped from the leading trio with Leemreize soon to follow and as they entered the final kilometre, Healy too had been caught by the chasers.

Although the GC was done for at this point, the stage win was still up for grabs and in the finale, Martinez was the first to make his move, Evenepoel quickly on the wheel and in the end, it was Martinez who took victory from Evenepoel with Tom Pidcock in third.