Volta ao Algarve: Sam Bennett wins stage 3

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Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-QuickStep) doubled up at the Volta ao Algarve in Tavira, easing to a clear victory in the sprint finish on the third stage of the race. The Irishman beat Danny van Poppel (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) into second place on the race's longest stage, while his lead-out man Michael Mørkøv took third place, such was the Belgian squad's dominance.

Deceuninck-QuickStep lay behind Bora-Hansgrohe, Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, and Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux in the final kilometre of the race, but their lead out hit the front at just the right time, with Mørkøv moving up on the left-hand side of the road as the other teams were less organised on the right.

With Bennett on his wheel, the Dane left his teammate with an easy job to sprint past and take his seventh win of 2021. Further back, Van Poppel got the better of Jon Aberasturi (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) and Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe), though was only able to pass Mørkøv before the line, with Bennett able to ease up and celebrate his victory.

Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) retains the overall race lead heading into the stage 4 time trial in Lagoa. He lies on the same time as W52-Porto rider João Rodrigues and Caja Rural's Jonathan Lastra, having beat them to victory on stage 3's summit finish of the Alto da Fóia.

How it unfolded

After Thursday's summit finish, stage 3 brought a flat, sprint day for the peloton, taking them 203 kilometres from Faro to Tavira. Two third-category climbs posed the only classified challenges of the day, along with three intermediate sprints on a stage which posed few obstacles to disrupt an inevitable sprint finish.

The attacks took some time to come at the start of the stage, with no groups making it away from the peloton until the intermediate sprint at the top of the hill after 18.5 kilometres of racing. There, Henrique Casemiro (Kelly-Smoldes-UDO) led the way across the sprint point ahead of Javier Moreno (Efapel), Jetse Bol (Burgos-BH) and Julen Irizar (Euskaltel-Euskadi), with the quartet making it away into the break of the day.

The peloton, satisfied with the makeup of the break, let the four men go, venturing out into the longest stage of the race. The Portela da Corcha and Cachopo climbs would present the major prizes of the day for the break, though with just two on the menu, no rider would be able to overhaul W52-Porto's João Rodrigues at the top of the standings.

Moreno grabbed four points on the first climb of the day ahead of Casemiro, and the result was reversed with Casemiro leading the way over the top. Both men took seven points, then, leaving them fourth and fifth in the mountain classification at the end of the day.

Ineos Grenadiers and Deceuninck-Quickstep led the way in the peloton, working for race leader Ethan Hayter and sprinter Sam Bennett, respectively. The mid-part of the stage was a quiet affair, with a 60-kilometre run from Cachopo to the second intermediate sprint at Alcoutim, and little to fight about in between.

Bol was first across the line in Alcoutim, leaving only the intermediate sprint at Vila-Real de Santo Antonio before the finish line. Back in the peloton, W52-Porto joined the fray, riding in support of their man Rodrigues, who lay second overall after stage 2.

Heading into the final 50 kilometres of the stage, the gap was down to two minutes and falling as the sprinter's teams worked at the head of the peloton. Some nerves in the peloton exhibited themselves with crashes involving Ineos men Iván Sosa and Brandon Rivera, among others, at the 42-kilometre mark.

Out front, the breakaway didn't stay together for much longer as Irizar dropped back from the move with 28 kilometres to go, shortly after Deceuninck-QuickStep's Davide Ballerini hit the deck before quickly going again.

Moreno led the three-man break over the final intermediate sprint five kilometres later, and the break wouldn't last much longer in front before the peloton reabsorbed them 11 kilometres out. 

Peio Goikoetxea (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Gonçalo Amado (Antarte-Feirense) tried a move three kilometres later, but it was quickly shut down as Groupama-FDJ commanded the peloton towards a sprint.

UAE Team Emirates and Bora-Hansgrohe also moved to the front in the closing kilometres as the pace went up and the lead-outs were prepared. The German squad led the way into the final kilometre, but were less organised than Deceuninck-QuickStep, who came from further back with their dialed-in two-man lead out.

With Mørkøv leading the way, there was little doubt about who would prevail at the line, with Bennett eventually easing to victory, the 56th of his career so far.