Volta ao Algarve: Jakobsen wins stage 1

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Fabio Jakobsen continued his and Deceuninck-QuickStep's 2020 winning streak, emerging late to win the opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve in Lagos, on the same finish where he won in 2019. Jakobsen won the final stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana last week and gave Deceuninck-QuickStep their ninth victory of the 2020 season. 

The Dutch national champion let Elia Viviani (Cofidis) kick first on the long, straight finish and then responded with more power and speed to surge past the Italian. Viviani finished second, shaking his head in defeat, with Matteo Trentin (CCC Team) third and Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) fourth.

Thanks to his stage victory, Jakobsen is the first leader of the Volta ao Algarve. The hilltop finishes and final time trial makes teammate Remco Evenepoel an overall favourite and Deceuninck-QuickStep team leader but Jakobsen can also target stage 3 to Tavira.

"I like the finish in Lagos, it's a straight line, so you have enough space and you can win. I'm happy to win again here," he said. "It was quite hard when Wellens attacks with 15km to go, there were a couple of steep climbs but I managed to hang on and then in the final, my teammates put me in a perfect position. The finishing straight is 700 metres long and so if you have space, you go hard and win the sprint.

"I want to win as many races as possible of course, as a sprinter and I hope to win in Tavira too. It's the same finish as last year. Then I was a bit boxed in but it's a sprint and if it's a bunch sprint I want to fight for the win."

How it unfolded

The riders were happy to sign on under a warm sun in Portimao near the Atlantic coast, with only Kennet Vanbilsen (Cofidis) and Dylan van Baarle (Team Ineos) absent due to late illness.

Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-QuickStep) could not hide that he is in Portugal to win, while Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana), Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo), Geraint Thomas (Team Ineos) and especially world cyclo-cross champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) all played down their chances.

The 195km stage covered a loop to the east and into the hills before turning west and then to the southern coast for the finish Lagos. It included 2,500m of climbing but was expected to be a day for at least some of the sprinters.

The late start and sunset finishes left the 174 riders in a relaxed mood that continued during the stage. The break of the day was allowed to go away after just five kilometres, with the sprinters' teams and especially Deceuninck-QuickStep ready to lead a constant but steady chase. 

The eight Portuguese Continental teams were naturally keen to go on the attack and lvaro Trueba (Tuna General-Tavira-Maria Nova Hotel) and Pedro Paulinho (Efapel) were joined by Diego López (Fundación-Orbea) after just five kilometres. They pushed the pace and opened a 3:50 gap after 15km but the peloton soon upped their pace and reduced the gap to a more controllable two minutes.

 The first half of the stage included three minor climbs in the countryside. Lopez was first to the top of the category 4 climb but Trueba took the category climb of Santa Luzia after 78km. Paulinho took the third and also won the intermediate sprint as the three shared the prizes. Behind it was largely Deceuninck-QuickStep leading the chase with Belgian tractor Tim Declercq, doing the hard work into the wind.

A couple of crashes raised the tension in the peloton and they closed down the break after 163km as the speed rose and the teams jostled to be safe at the front.

A gradual climb and false flat with 15km to go also worried the peloton, with a left turn onto the country road also slowing the pack and hurting anyone at the back.

Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) was making his 2020 season debut but could not resist trying his hand and he lined out the peloton and hurt the sprinters with a determined attack. He was marked by João Almeida and even Evenepoel as they tried to control the attacks for the benefit of Jakobsen. Nibali was also up front on his debut with Trek-Segafredo, while the sprinters and their leadout men tried to get back on and move up behind.

A fast, wide road towards Lagos helped the sprinters and the speed rose as the kilometres ticked down. Team Sunweb massed on the front, as did Deceuninck-QuickStep, Alpecin-Felix for Sacha Modolo and Kristian Sbaragli and Team Ineos for Ben Swift.

The fast technical run-in to Lagos included two late roundabouts but then the road opened onto the long straight finish. Swift started his sprint early, as did Viviani. Jakobsen waited, trusting and perhaps knowing his own acceleration and speed would be enough to win.

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