Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) opened his 2024 season with a trademark long-distance solo triumph, going it alone 53km from the finish of the Figueira Champions Classic.
The Belgian, who took on the second edition of the one-day race ahead of next week's Volta ao Algarve, was 'led out' by several of his QuickStep teammates before jumping clear of the peloton with four major climbs left to run during the closing three laps of the 192.4km race.
UAE Team Emirates attempted to chase down the former world champion, first with Marc Hirschi, then with a sustained solo ride by Isaac Del Toro, and then with their team at the head of the peloton, but Evenepoel – as he has so often in the past – proved to be uncatchable.
As Del Toro dropped back to the peloton 27km from the line, Evenepoel enjoyed a lead of over a minute, and he'd remained untroubled on the run to the finish to cross the line for the 51st victory of his career.
“I’m happy I could start the season with a victory just as I wanted, it’s good for my confidence and for my next race. I enjoyed the parcours here and I liked riding it alone for more than 50 kilometers. The original plan wasn’t to attack with two laps to go, but instead wait for the last climbs of the race. On the other hand, when I noticed the peloton was down to around 25 riders and many were struggling with the pace of my teammates, I just decided to go and see what would happen," Evenepoel said.
“Once I got news that I had 20 seconds at the top of the climb, and later 40 seconds as I entered the final lap, I kept going. I had the power to push in the headwind, which was no joke today, and I’m delighted with how things panned out and with this win."
Behind him, tentative moves were made in the peloton as the group raced over the final short and sharp climb of the Enforca Cães and into the flat run to the line. However, it was a reduced chase group which came to the line.
Alpecin-Deceuninck led the group to the finish with a mini lead-out train, but it was Vito Braet (Intermarché-Wanty) who came out on top in the sprint for the line jumping off Astana Qazaqstan lead-out Cristian Scaroni's wheel to pip fellow Astana man Simone Velasco.
The Belgian led home the group at 1:48 down on Evenepoel, while Velasco grabbed third ahead of Lars Boven (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Marius Mayrhofer (Tudor Pro Cycling).
How it unfolded
Evenepoel's team had set the pace in the peloton for much of the day, keeping the break of seven men who had escaped before the challenging hilly circuit in check.
Out front, José Félix Parra (Kern Pharma) and Ibai Azurmendi (Euskaltel-Euskadi) were joined by Portuguese Continental riders André Carvalho (Sabgal-Anicolar), Alfonso Eulálio (ABTF Betão-Feirense), Bruno Silva (Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mortágua), Luís Fernandes (Credibom-LA Alumínios-Marcos Car), and Hugo Nunes (Rádio Popular-Paredes-Boavista).
The group's advantage reached a maximum of five minutes at one point, but with Soudal-QuickStep on a mission, they had no chance of making the finish line to contest the win.
In the end, the break barely made it to the finishing circuit before being swept up by the peloton at 80km from the line. From then on the latter part of the 'launch Evenepoel' plan was enacted, with Soudal-QuickStep pulling off a long-range lead-out for their leader.
He pulled the trigger at 53km to go with only Hirschi able to offer any resistance in the immediate aftermath of the attack. The Swiss rider soon dropped back, though, leaving his teammate Del Toro to make the next attempt to bridge across.
The 20-year-old lasted longer in the chase, making it into the final 30km before giving up the ghost. With Evenepoel already over a minute up the road, the prospects of making the catch were hopeless, even with a sizeable group chasing.
All that was left was to wait for him to race to the line and celebrate yet another huge solo victory, as some time later, the remains of the chase sprinted for the final podium spots.
Results
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