As it happened: opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve decided by messy bunch sprint
The peloton race 185.6km from Vila Real de Santo António to Tavira
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Race situation
- The race is all together, in anticipation of a bunch sprint
- Juan Ayuso gained three bonus seconds on the Golden Kilometre
It was a pretty comfortable victory for the Frenchman, too, with runner-up Meeus finishing just under a bikelength behind.
Magnier came off Philipsen's wheel to take the win, starting his sprint at what appeared in hindsight to be the perfect time, while Philipsen left it too late.
Amid the mess, there was nearly a crash as De Lie and Mesa nearly came together a few metres away from the finish line, but both managed to stay upright and seal sixth and fifth respectively.
Kaden Groves accelerated early, but teammate Philipen lost his wheel. Philipsen settled for fourth place, while Pavel Bittner was third.
Meeus took second place.
Alpecin looked very well-placed in the final few hundred metres, but appeared not to get their final lead-out right.
But it's Magnier who takes it for Soudal-QuickStep!
MAGNIER WINS
Here comes Alpecin, they take over...
Soudal continue to lead, but their man Magnier only has one teammate left with him.
As the road narrows due to a roundabout, Soudal take over again.
Now lots of new teams who had been holding back come to the front, including Ineos and Lotto. 2km to go.
Picnic-PostNL take over at the front, with 3km to go.
Soudal-QuickStep are winning the race to be at the front of the peloton as they enter the final 4km, but they're being pressed by many others.
The jostling for position is intensifying as they enter the final 5km.
Mechanical for UAE Team Emirate's Morgado, one of the star home riders of Portugal.
The road is wide, and there are multiple teams with long trains therefore able to ride at the front of the peloton.
Decathlon, riding at the front of the peloton.
The pace is down, and the riders are looking at each other. Nobody wants to commit too early, against the strong headwind.
We're into the final 10km!
10KM TO GO
Jayco, Lidl and UAE are some of the other teams prominent up towards the front.
Decathlon reassert themselves at the front and now lead the peloton outright.
There’s a rival train from Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe on the other side of the road.
After all the work from Alpecin and Soudal earlier in the day, other teams are now showing their faces. Decathlon have a long line of riders on the left-hand side of the road, presumably looking after their GC man Paul Seixas.
Jordi Meeus is back towards the rear of the peloton, not ideal with only 15km to go.
A headwind is making this a tricky run-in to the finish. It’s crucial that the sprinters don;t expose themselves to the wind and keep on their teammates' wheels.
It also turn out that Ayuso picked up 2 more bonus seconds at the 2nd Golden Kilometre sprint, meaning the group chasing Nunes must have been caught in between the first and second.
The trains are already forming. The riders are all spread across the road, clustered together with their teammates.
Just 20km to go. The sprinters' teams will soon start winding up their trains in anticipation of the bunch sprint finale.
20KM TO GO
Juan Ayuso did manage to get third in the final sprint, earning him one bonus second, while UAE's Fabio Christen was ahead of him and behind Tratnik, taking two seconds.
It’s been confirmed that Nunes took the bonuses at the first and second Golden Kilometre sprints, but was caught before the final one, which was won by Jan Tratnik - presumably in defence of his GC team leaders Florian Lipowitz and Dani Martinez.
The catch having been made, the pace is way down in the peloton, giving the riders time to pick up last-minute supplies / relieve themselves before the day's grand finale.
We're waiting to hear the results of the Golden Kilometre, but it seems the breakaway riders were all caught sometime during it - including the lone leader Nunes.
It seems that the rest of the break were caught, opening up some points for the riders in the peloton.
Juan Ayuso is involved, and looking like he's thinking of sprinting for them.
But while Nunes is taking the maximum points, the peloton are looking to take the rest.
Nunes is onto the Golden Kilometre. He should be set to take all the bonuses.
Nunes has a 10 second lead on the rest of the break, but the peloton is still getting closer and closer, now just 25 seconds behind him.
30KM TO GO
This has been some impressive tactics from Credibom / LA Alumínios / Marcos Car, who managed to give Nunes a rest with help from teammate Narciso after he got into the break, and now has the legs to strike out alone.
Nunes has attacked out of the break, and now leads the race alone.
The race is very much on. Tension is rising, and the Alpecin rider leading the peloton has some brief words with the Soudal rider behind him.
Coming up soon is a Golden Kilometre, where bonus seconds are on offer at three sprints within a kilometre. If the break is caught before then, we could see the GC men get involved.
It's still Alpecin and Soudal who are doing the work in the peloton to chase this group down, and, despite a tailwind, they've got this under control. The time gap is now being reported as 35 seconds.
The catch is made, with 36km left to ride. This isn't over for the break yet.
The three chasers can see the leaders now, and are about to make the catch.
The three leaders still have 1:15 on the peloton, and might soon to be joined by the three leaders, who are within 20 seconds of them.
40KM TO GO
The other three riders who were in the break, Campos, Silva and Ribeiro, are about to be caught by the peloton.
Behind the leading trio, Nunes, Narciso and Moreira have formed a chase group 30 seconds adrift.
Once again, Contte takes the maximum points at the top, ensuring he will be the leader of the Mountain's Classification for tomorrow's stage.
KOM - FAZ FATO
The three leaders are nearing the top of the climb, and Contte is accelerating again for the KOM points.
Nunes has joined his teammate Narciso on the climb, and the latter is pacing him. This is an ambitious move by the Credibom / LA Alumínios / Marcos Car team.
The non-Portuguese riders have gone clear of the home riders, and have formed a three-man group at the head of the race: Leijnse, Contte and Ivanov.
This climb might not be steep, but the break is still fracturing on it. The're in groups of twos and threes now.
The slowing of the pace has seen the break's lead grow back out to 1:10, with Nunes half way between both groups.
50KM TO GO
The pace has slowed again in the peloton, to the extent that Hugo Nunes of Credibom / LA Alumínios / Marcos Car has attacked out of it in an attempt to bridge up to the break.
Japer Philipsen in the bunch, staying well-positioned towards the front.
Coming up soon is the second and final classified climb of the day, Faz Fato, which might account for the increase in pace in the peloton. It’s long, at 7.9%, but with merely benign gradients, that averages 2.6%.
The peloton is closing in on the break now, with Alpecin working with Soudal-QuickStep. They've now within 20 seconds of them.
Soudal-QuickStep still lead the peloton. They'll be especially motivated to win today, as they are still without a win this year. By contrast, their departed star Remco Evenepoel is already up to 6 further putting pressure on them to get going. Ex-boss Patrick Lefevere is urging them not to panic.
There's been a crash in the breakaway - João Silva has gone down, while leading the group around a round-a-bout.
1:10 is the gap, as the riders enter the final 60km.
60KM TO GO
1:40 is the latest gap between the peloton and the break. The race is settled as they continue this long, shallow descent.
70KM TO GO
Across the border, the opening stage of the Ruta del Sol has just finished. You can find out what happened here.
Here were the results from the KOM classification at the top of the Mercador climb, which Tomas Contte was first to the top of:
3 João Silva 1 point
Narciso didn’t get up the ghost, and has made it back into the break on the descent.
Paul Seixas is another man many eyes will be on in terms of the GC race. The teenage Frenchman enjoyed a stunning breakthrough season last year - can he build upon that and take another leap in 2026?
The break remained mostly intact on the climb, although Narciso was dropped out of it and is now 20 seconds adrift.
Both the break and the peloton are on the descent, the gap between them now at 1:20.
80KM TO GO
Onley faces a familiar foe in Florian Lipowitz, his rival for the Tour de France podium last year who won the race for third place. He’s leading Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe’s GC push, and has spent the stage today safely in the peloton with no issues.
The gap remains at anout one minute as both the break and the peloton take on the climb.
90KM TO GO
Going back to the GC hopefuls - Oscar Onley’s form will be closely monitored, given his high-profile move to Ineos Grenadiers. This is his first race for the British team, and he’d make a big statement as a potential Grand Tour candidate with overall victory against opponents as strong as Almeida and Ayuso; though Onley himself is downplaying expectations this early in the season.
The breakaway riders have started the climb. The group could begin to break up, especially with the peloton bearing down on them.
Consequently, the gap to the break has come down to just over a minute.
The pace is up in the peloton, as they approach the foot of the first climb of the day - the category three Marcador, which rises for 6.2km at 4.5%.
Almeida and UAE Team Emirates’ main rival could well be Juan Ayuso, in what is set to be the first of a tasty rivalry between himself and his former team. Can the Spaniard, who now rides for Lidl-Trek, inflict revenge on the team he left acrimoniously at the end of last season? He says he’s aiming for overall victory.
Given the might of UAE Team Emirates, and the continuation so far this season of their huge success from 2025, their leader João Almeida may be the man to beat. He looked good at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana, albeit losing out on the GC to Remco Evenepoel - but won’t have to worry about defeating his Belgian rival this time, as Evenepoel’s racing in the UAE.
As a Portuguese rider, Almeida’s the man the home fans will be backing.
This is unlikely to be a day for the GC riders, whose task today is mostly about survival and avoiding incident before the showdowns to come later in the race. But let's have a look at who’s likely to be in the mix for the overall victory.
2:25 now for the break, which is their biggest lead of the day.
Still the gap remains at about two minutes. The peloton has this firmly under control, despite the size of the group.
110KM TO GO
Alpecin riders in the peloton, surrounding their man Jasper Philipsen. While Philpsen is the obvious leader, they also have Kaden Groves here as an alternative option, making his first appearance of the season.
After Magnier’s Soudal and Philipsen’s Alpecin, the third man in line in that picture is a Red Bull-Hansgrohe rider. He’ll be working for Jordi Meeus, who will have a chance to sprint for victory today before the team’s focus shifts to GC with Florian Lipowitz and former overall winner Dani Martínez.
Magnier’s Soudal-QuickStep are taking it upon themselves to control this break, with their man Jonathan Vervenne seen here leading the peloton.
The break's lead is holding steady, still at just over two minutes.
120KM TO GO
Since the departure of Remco Evenepoel, there’s a big onus on Paul Magnier to perform at Soudal-QuickStep, and perhaps become their new talisman. He could make a big statement by winning today, on what is just his second race day of the season.
Here's an idea of the kind of landscape that is providing the backdrop for today's stage in the Algarve.
The gap between the break and the peloton is still at about two minutes.
130KM TO GO
Another big name to look out for in the event of a bunch sprint is Arnaud De Lie. The Belgian’s start to the season was delayed by a freak injury sustained during the Christmas break, though, and his team have downplayed his form as a result.
The race has it's first abandon already - Henri Uhlig, one of the Alpecin teammates tasked with helping Philipsen win today's stage.
The big, new summit finish at the UAE Tour lived up to the hype, and produced a thrilling battle up it. We won't spoil it here, but be sure to read our report of what happened.
So which sprinters should we be looking out for in the finale? Jasper Philipsen’s name stands out. This is the first race of 2026, and he’s beginning what he hopes will be another prolific printer, having spent many years now as one of the fastest men in the peloton.
The riders are currently going uphill, but only at a very gradual gradient. The parcours is a little undulating for a while, but this still looks like a day for the sprinters.
The gap's up to 2:15, the highest it's been all day.
140KM TO GO
The peloton, where the atmosphere is relaxed.
The pace in the peloton has eased off again, and the gap is growing. It seems the break will be allowed to remain up the road after all.
Leijnse's problem must have only been a mechanical, as he's back with the leaders now.
Leijnse has dropped out of the break.
Soudal are working for a Paul Magnier win today. The young sprinter was one of the most prolific winners of 2025, and has started this season in good nick with a runner-up finish at Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana - Gran Premi València.
Soudal-QuickStep don’t appear too happy with this break - perhaps it’s too big? They’re pulling at the front of the peloton and have almost halved the gap, to just over a minute.
150KM TO GO
The gap between the break and the peloton is up to two minutes, but has ceased to grow as the peloton begin chasing.
160KM TO GO
So it’s very much a break of chancers, with two-thirds of it made up of native Portuguese riders.
Here are the nine rider in the break:
José Miguel Moreira (GI Group Holding - Simoldes - UDO)
André Ribeiro (GI Group Holding - Simoldes - UDO)
Diogo Narciso (Credibom / LA Alumínios / Marcos Car)
Bruno Silva (Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mortágua)
Noah Campos (Team Tavira / Crédito Agrícola)
Tomas Contte (Aviludo - Louletano - Loulé)
João Silva (Feira dos Sofás - Boavista)
We’ll have a full run-down of everyone in it shortly - there are no World Tour riders among them.
Over a minute for the nine-man break - it doesn’t appear the peloton is chasing them down.
170KM TO GO
It’s a large group, especially for a flat opening stage of a short stage race, but there doesn’t appear to be any notably dangerous riders in it.
A group of about 9 riders have established a gap on the peloton, this might be the break of the day.
A first glimpse of the riders out on the road today.
The parcours today is mostly flat, with only a couple of small category three climbs to take on in the second half of the stage, before a straightforward run-in to the finish in Tavira. So it should certainly be an opening stage for the bunch sprinters.
It’s a mild day out there in the Algarve, not quite the searing temperatures that attract tourists later in the year, but a reasonable 17 degrees.
And they're off!
183KM TO GO
The riders are making their way through the neutralised zone in Vila Real de Santo António.
Here's Oscar Onley at the start, one of the big names making his debut for his new team, Ineos Grenadiers.
We're only a few minutes away from the unofficial start!
Today feels like a day when the 2026 season really starts to get going. As well as the Volta ao Algarve, the Vuelta a Andalucia is also getting underway across the border, while in the Middle-East the UAE Tour continues with a summit finish. You read a preview of that stage here.
None of those four riders are present this year, but the start list remains stacked nonetheless. Have a read here for our full run-down of who to look out for.
This race in Southern Portugal has in recent years developed to become one of the most prestigious and star-studded of the early season stage races, as a quick look at the list of recent winners conforms - Jonas Vingegaard triumphed last year, Remco Evenepoel the year before, and Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar within the last seven years.
Hello and welcome to stage one of the Volta ao Algarve!
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