As it happened: stage 4 of the Volta ao Algarve decided by a bunch sprint
A day for the sprinters as the peloton races 182.1km into Lagos
Volta ao Algarve 2026 - Everything you need to know
Fresh starts and home favourites: Five riders to watch at the 2026 Volta ao Algarve
Hello and welcome to stage four of the Volta ao Algarve!
Yesterday was another exciting twist in the GC race, as Juan Ayuso narrowly extended his lead over Paul Seixas.
Today’s stage looks set to be a break in the GC race before tomorrow’s climactic finale; though undulating, the parcours doesn't quite look hard enough to be selective and cause time gaps.
This is therefore a stage for the sprinters who were in the mix on stage one to again to come to the fore, although there are enough complications in the parcours to make their life complicated.
The peloton is riding through the neutralised zone as we speak, having begun the unofficial start.
Juan Ayuso at the unofficial start, in the leader's yellow jersey.
One rider absent from the start was Jasper Stuyven, who is a DNS today. That’s a blow for stage one winner Paul Magnier, for whom the Belgian is part of his lead-out train.
No break has formed yet while Dries De Bondt has had to change bikes.
In fact, the reason there has been no attacks is the official start has been delayed, as they wait for De Bondt to fix his problem.
Now they are underway for good!
OFFICIAL START
The peloton in the neutralised zone.
As well as Stuyven, Ineos' Kim Heiduk also didn't make it to the start today.
We've had some attacks, and a group of 8 riders are about 10 seconds clear of the peloton.
There are 9 riders in this move, and they're growing their lead, which is now nearing 30 seconds. This could be the break of the day already.
170KM TO GO
Many familiar faces from previous days' breakaways are present here. We'll have a full list of all the riders present soon.
The nine riders in the break are:
Fábio Costa (Feira dos Sofás - Boavista)
João Silva (Feira dos Sofás - Boavista)
Tomas Contte (Aviludo - Louletano - Loulé)
Rubén Fernández (Anicolor / Campicarn)
Noah Campos (Team Tavira / Crédito Agrícola)
Gonçalo Carvalho (Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mortágua)
Hugo Nunes (Credibom / LA Alumínios / Marcos Car)
Diogo Pinto (Credibom / LA Alumínios / Marcos Car)
Behind them, José Neves had been chasing alone to try and join, but has given up the ghost and is back in the peloton.
The peloton appears to have sat up - the gap has grown out to over 1:30, and it appears we have our break of the day.
No response from the peloton yet, as they allow the lead to grow to 2:30. Everyone looks happy with the make-up of the group, but we await to see which team will take control of the peloton and start riding.
160KM TO GO
It seems the answer to that question is Soudal-QuickStep. Here they are pulling at the front of the peloton with Dylan Van Baarle, in service of their sprinter Paul Magnier.
The work being done at the front of the peloton has been enough to peg the break’s lead at 2:30.
150KM TO GO
Despite there being only one climb to be taken on today, Tomas Contte is in the break yet again to defend his blue jersey as leader of the King of the Mountains. The Argentine has done a great job this year promoting the small Aviludo - Louletano - Loulé team.
The gap's come down a little, from its earlier high of 2:30 to 2:50.
As has been the case in both the previous road stages, this is a big break that has gone clear, but it’s made up of riders from teams outside of the World Tour, and so the peloton appear confident of bringing it back.
So which riders should we be looking out for in the event of a bunch sprint today?
The break's lead has gone up a little in the past few kilometres, to 1:50.
130KM TO GO
Having looked a little out of sorts in the opening stage sprint, when he was slow to respond and lacked his usual kick, Jasper Philipsen will want to get his first win of the season.
As the runner-up from the opening stage, Jordi Meuus must be considered one of Manger and Philipsen's main rivals today. As well as being a fast finisher, Meeus is also strong on tougher terrain, and so could benefit from the climbing later on; these obstacles might wear his rivals out more than himself.
The break has gone through an intermediate sprint, with Nunes taking the points from Cesar de Paula and Silva.
The gap's come down significantly in recent kilometres, to about 1:30. The early signs are that this will be a bunch sprint, but the tougher parcours of the day is yet to come.
120KM TO GO
Third on the opening stage sprint, Pavel Bittner is another potential winner today. Despite being a consistent performer in the sprints, the Czech rider is actually without a win since a stage of the Vuelta in 2024, 18 months ago. Surely that run must come to an end soon - and possibly today?
The break has regained some of its lead again, extending it to 1:25. They should be OK for a while as surely the peloton won’t want to catch them too early, but things could get interesting if anyone wants to apply pressure on the upcoming climb.
110KM TO GO
Here’s Johan Price-Pejtersen pulling at the front of the peloton for Alpecin-Fenix, a sign that Jasper Philipsen fancies his chances in the sprint today.
Will Arnaud De Lie go quicker than he did on the opening stage? He’s still feeling his way into the season after his preparation for it was disrupted by an injury during the winter and he didn’t quite look his explosive self, finishing fifth. With Opening Weekend now just one week away, he’ll be desperate to find some better form.
100km to go, and the break's lead remains at a healthyish 1:50.
100KM TO GO
We’ll be on the day’s only climb soon, the Nave. At 5.6km in length, there is time for any teams wanting to apply pressure to up the pace on it - perhaps some of the teams of sprinters who can climb better than others, who smell an opportunity to put rivals under pressure.
But the gradient is a shallow 4.2%, and it’s a long way from the finish to make a difference.
Race leader Juan Ayuso wearing yellow, safely in the peloton.
The break are on the climb, though their lead has decreased to 1:30 as the peloton prepares for it.
No problem for Tomas Contte, who takes the points he got into the break for as the break rides over the summit. Behind him, Costa was second, and Nunes third.
KOM - NAVE
Here are the KOM rankings in the aftermath, which will stay the same by the end of the day with no more climbs to come:
1 Tomas Contte (Aviludo - Louletano - Loulé) 18 points
4 João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates XRG) 6
Nobody in the peloton pushed on on this climb, allowing the break to grow their lead again to 2:25.
90KM TO GO
They might have reached the official summit, but the climbing isn’t done yet. After a false flat, the road climbs for a few kilometres more before eventually plateauing.
Today’s UAE Tour stage has finished, and there was plenty of drama on the final Jebel Hafeet climb - read all about what happened here.
An interesting development in the breakaway, as three riders have used the uphill road following the climb’s official summit to attack.
ATTACK
Rubén Fernández, Victor Cesar de Paula and Gonçalo Carvalho are the three riders to have gone clear.
The trio are going well and building their lead on the plateau. They’re 20 seconds up on the rest of the break, with the peloton 2:30 behind.
80KM TO GO
As well as Magnier's Soudal-QuickStep and Alpecin's Jasper Philipsen, Lidl-Trek have also done pace-setting in the front of the peloton, albeit for their GC leader Ayuso rather than a sprnter gunning for the stage win.
The leading trio are going well, growing their lead over the chasers to 35 seconds.
A real blow for Carvalho, who has had to change his bike after a mechanical. That leaves just Fernández and Cesar de Paula in the lead.
That could be bad news for the Fernández and Cesar De Paula, too - that's one-third of their engine gone, as they try to hold off the chasers.
The mechanical was a nightmare for Carvalho, who has also been distanced by the chase group and is now stuck in no-man’s land between them and the peloton.
Despite losing Carvalho, the leading duo still lead the chasers by 35 seconds as they take on the descent following the plateau. Meanwhile the peloton is still taking things easy, 2:10 behind.
70KM TO GO
Carvalho has sat up and been caught by the peloton.
The rides are done descending, and after that tricky part of the course the road now flattens, with only a few undulations before the finish.
The two leads might not be out front for much longer - the gap between them and the chasers is being reported as just five seconds.
The two leaders have now been caught, so the 8-man breakaway is all back together.
Meanwhile the peloton have close the gap to the break, bringing it down to 1:40. They still have matters firmly under control.
60KM TO GO
The riders are approaching the finishing circuit, and will cross the finish line in Lagosfor the first time in about 25km.
The peloton isn't hanging about now. They're just one minute behind the leaders as they take on an uncategorised rise in the road.
Only 55 seconds for the leaders now. It's Alpecin who are doing the work to bring the gap down.
50KM TO GO
Cohesion is breaking down in the break, as the riders are attacking each other.
Pinto has made a move, and Contte has latched onto his wheel.
They've been caught, but the attacks continue to come.
It’s hard to go back to working together after the break split up earlier, with the three-man attack on the climb earlier.
Pinto had actually been dropped from the group, rather than the man to have attacked. He's now several seconds adrift
Pinto has been caught, by a peloton that is now just 40 or so seconds behind.
The attacks keep coming in the break! The terrain, which is lightly downhill, isn't helping anybody to go clear, however.
In between these attacks the pace keeps slowing, with no cohesion in the group, and as a result the peloton is getting closer and closer - now just 30 seconds away.
Now the gap's a mere 17 seconds. It's only a matter of time until the break is caught.
40KM TO GO
It’s still Soudal and Alpecin doing all the work leading the peloton. As the finish approaches we’ll see the other sprint teams jostling for position for their leaders, but the pressure is on Philipsen and Magnier to deliver after all the work done by their teammates up until now.
After splitting up a little more, the break has, inevitably, been caught.
That is, the rest of the break has been caught - three riders who slipped clear, Campos, Silva and Nunes, remain out front.
The riders have crossed the finish line for the first time, prior to a final lap before arriving here for a second and climactic sprint.
Unsurprisingly after last year’s chaos, the road they accidentally went down last year has been barricaded.
The bunch has slowed, evidently not wanting to make the catch too early. That’s allowed an opportunist counter-attacker to slip clear of the peloton.
They leaders now have 18 seconds on the slowed-down peloton.
30KM TO GO
Ganna is right at the back of the peloton. That would suggest he's not going to again try what he did here last year and sprint for the win perhaps content with his success from yesterday.
Nunes has attacked Silva and Campos, and now leads the race alone.
Here was the day's break, of which only three now survive.
Mechanical for Arensman in the peloton. He's 5th on GC so will want this sorted as quickly as possible.
Nunes is caught, so that's it, the race is all back together again now, with 27km left to ride.
All the other sprinters teams have emerged towards the front of the peloton these past few kilometres, swarming out the familiar faces Alpecin and Soudal.
Still 20km to go. This promises to be a long, drawn-out and tense fight ahead of the likely bunch sprint.
20KM TO GO
Crash in the peloton, with two men down. They had a soft fall onto the roadside grass.
Both seem to be OK, but the incident shows how the tension is ramping up.
Colby Simmons was the man to go down, and is back up and riding.
Things have calmed down in the peloton, with the riders bunched together and no team in control.
Just 15km to go. Ineos and Tudor are among those at the front, but the fight for position remains subdued for now.
No team wants to commit too early, and the pace is off. With no break up the road, there’s an opportunity for any outsiders feeling optimistic to try an attack.
A Tudor riding is having a conversation with a UAE rider, the pace slow enough for them to do so.
Just 10km to go, though the kilometres are ticking down slower at this current pace, which isn't being helped by a headwind.
10KM TO GO
Still we wait for an increase in pace. Everyone is biding their time ahead of what’s going to be an explosive finale.
This is what the peloton has looked at these past few kilometres, all bunched together and playing the waiting game.
There's been a crash, as the road narrows. A few have gone down, including Johannes Staune-Mittet.
CRASH
Harrison Wood is another faller, and is seated on the floor holding his shoulder. That was a nasty one.
Still no sign of the pace increasing at the front of the peloton, as the enter the final 5km.
5KM TO GO
The yellow jersey of Ayuso is visible right towards the front, but still it's the GC teams rather than the sprinters who are massing at the front with 4km to go.
Things are at last starting to intensify with 3.5km as the pace increases.
It's still the GC teams who are leading though, with Ayuso's Lidl controlling things.
Tudor take over, and are stringing the peloton out.
Ayuso is right at the very front on an uphill drag just over 2km from the finish.
Still Tudor lead as we go into the final 2km.
Magnier is being brought up to the front by his teammate.
Groves is also trying to bring up his leader Philipsen.
It's a messy finish as they go into the final 1km.
EF lead as we near the finish...
Magnier starts his sprint...and the Frenchman takes it!
MAGNIER WINS
Tim Torn Teutenberg of Lidl-Trek led the sprint initially, but had no response as Magnier was unleashed and stormed to victory.
Jordi Meeus came through for 2nd, while Oded Kogut overtook a fading Tim Torn Teutenberg for third.
It was a comfortable win in the end for Magnier, who extended his lead even as Meeus behind him sprinted in his slipstream.
That was another seriously impressive sprint from Magnier. It might still be very early in the season, and many of the world’s best might not be here, but he is looking like one of the fastest in the world.
It was a messy bunch sprint, with the leadouts rushed after such a prolonged wait beforehand. Tim Torn Teutenberg had to squeeze through a tight gap between himself and the barrier, but led the sprint as a result, but didn’t have the legs to hold off those approaching behind him.
Jordi Meeus again had to settle for second place, having also finished behind Magner on the opening day. He’s looking in great shape, but is up against a formidable foe in the Frenchman.
Surprisingly, there was no sign of Jasper Philipsen in the finale. His team never seemed in control in the run-in to the sprint, and Philipsen was lost in the melee. The Belgian finished down in 10th, and is starting the season uncharacteristically slowly.
It seems there was a split in the peloton at the finish, between the rider in 36th and 37th - and Paul Seixas was caught the wrong side of it.
That’s a big blow for the Frenchman, whose deficit to Ayuso has consequently been doubled from 7 seconds to 14 seconds.
What felt like an innocuous stage might just have made a big difference, as that’s a lot more time for Seixas to make up if he’s to challenge for overall victory at tomorrow’s final stage.
If you haven’t already, check out our report of stage four of the Ruta del Sol, that finished earlier in the afternoon.
Arensman and Martinez were also caught the wrong side of that split, the latter falling from 7th to 8th on GC, leapfrogged behind Oscar Onley.
Here’s what the GC rankings look like now after that split:
3 João Almeida at 0-44
4 Kévin Vauquelin at 0-57
7 Dani Martínez 1-19
Thanks for joining us again, on a day in which Paul Magnier made clear his status as the fastest sprinter at the race.
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