Volta ao Algarve: Kung wins time trial

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Swiss national time trial champion Stefan Kung (Groupama-FDJ) plied his trade with aplomb on stage 3 of the Volta ao Algarve, powering to victory for his new French team in the 20.3km test around Lagoa.

However the unexpected story of the day was another brilliant ride by race leader Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), who showed maturity beyond his years to defending the race lead, taking fifth on the stage. Starting the day with the more experienced Wout Poels (Team Sky) just one second behind in the GC and Enric Mas (Deceuninck-Quickstep) five seconds down, Pogacar ended the day with a lead of 31 seconds over Mas.

Søren Kragh Andersen (Team Sunweb) rocketing up the standings with an impressive second place on the stage, overtaking Poels in third at 36 seconds, with two hilly stages to race.

Kung made his season debut at the Volta ao Algarve, wearing the Groupama-FDJ colours for the first time and riding his first time trial in a new red skinsuit. He was perfectly suited to the rolling course but had to fight for his win.

“We were able to work really well over the winter on all the really important things. It’s really nice that in the first tine trial I can deliver like that and celebrate the first victory in the new colours. I’m really happy,” Kung said, explaining his plans for the spring.

“I took a different approach to last year, this is my first race of the season, so I’m really ready for the Classics. It’s going perfectly for now. I feel good and in shape. I hope to go on from here and do good in the Classics.”

How it unfolded

The 20.3km individual time trial in Lagoa was a rolling circuit with a fast, downhill finish tackled under bright sunshine but windy conditions along a roiling seashore.

Fourth down the ramp, Josef Cerny (CCC Team) set the fast early time at 25:39 but was quickly eclipsed by Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo), who went 20 seconds better.

Pedersen’s teammate Ryan Mullen was next to visit the hot seat, cracking the 25-minute barrier at 24:41, but he was soon displaced by a flying Yves Lampaert (Deceuninck-Quickstep) who went three seconds quicker in 24:38. Sprinter Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) was next through in third, a remarkable performance for the Frenchman.

Demare’s result foreshadowed another fine ride by his new Groupama-FDJ teammate Stefan Kung. The Swiss time trial champion flashed through the finish in his all-red kit, smashing Lampaert’s mark by five seconds at 24:33.

On the other end of the course, the top 10 in the general classification were setting off, and all the riders in the middle tried but fell short of Kung’s effort. All eyes were on the efforts of the overall contenders - with Sam Oomen (Team Sunweb), Enric Mas (Deceuninck-Quickstep), Wout Poels (Team Sky) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) all separated by just five seconds in the overall classification.

Marc Hirschi (Team Sunweb) was the first of the top ten to finish, dropping down the rankings with a 25:39. Neilson Powless (Jumbo-Visma), ninth at the start of the day, finished in a respectable 25:17, while Amaro Antunes (CCC Team) was still hurting from the previous day’s attacks, and could only manage a 25:51.

Søren Kragh Andersen (Team Sunweb) passed his minute-man João Rodrigues (W52-FC Porto), a very good performance for the Dane with a time only two seconds shy of Kung’s mark with a 24:35. David de la Cruz (Team Sky), not a notable time trial specialist, did not threaten any of the top finishers on the stage, finishing in 25:26 and losing nearly a minute to Kragh Andersen.

It was now up to Oomen, Mas, Poels and Pogacar to battle for the yellow jersey, with the wind sweeping the disc wheels across the wide-open finishing roads.

Oomen struggled, however, bleeding time in the fast finale, taking nearly 26 minutes to complete the stage and giving up team leadership to Kragh Andersen.

Mas was next through, gritting his teeth as he finished just outside the top 10 with a 25:19. But the Spaniard’s time was better than that of Wout Poels, who managed only a 25:26.

The tenacious Pogacar rode brilliantly for a 20-year-old neo-pro, setting a time of 24:50 to overshadow his bigger-name rivals and keep the yellow jersey in style. The race is now his to lose but his rivals seem to lack the strength to topple him.

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