Volta ao Algarve stage 3 - Live coverage

Bom dia for another Cyclingnews live coverage from the Volta ao Algarve. 

Today's stage is over 211km from Almodôvar to Faro.

As the Cyclingnews blimp takes height, there are 95km left to race. 

The 95km includes the two categorised climbs of the long stage and so should produce all the action of the day and reveal if  any attackers  can escape the grasp of the sprinters and their teams. 

The speed is high in the peloton.

We currently have a breakaway of seven riders out front. They lead the peloton by 5:50.

The sprinters' teams have a lot of work to do. 

The break went clear early on the stage. 

The riders in the break are: 

Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi)

Rafael Lourenco (Atum general / Tavira / Maria Nova Hotel)

Rafael Silva (Efapel Cycling)

Afonso Eulálio (Glassdrive Q8 Anicolor)

Afonso Silva (Kelly / Simoldes / UDO)

Nicolas Saenz (Tavfer-Mortagua-Ovos Matinados)

Samuel Caldeira (W52 / FC Porto)

A flat for Fabio Jakobsen means the QuickStep team ease up. That will only help the breakaway today. 

QuickStep have one rider on the front doing the work, with one rider from Groupama-FDJ protecting Gaudu's race lead. 

Fabio Jakobsen has already won 3 times this season. On Wednesday he and QuickStep were unbeatable in Lagos. The Dutchman is surely the rider to beat today, but Quick Step has lost workhorse Tim Declercq due to stomach problems.

Jordi Meeus finished second on the opening day, but the judges relegated for switching Kristoff into the barriers. He will be eager for revenge.

The other sprinters in contention include Tim Merlier, Bryan Coquard and Kristoff.

On the hillier terrain with 70km to go, the gap to the break is falling fast.   

The gap is down to 3:00 as the race starts the Pisa Barro Cat 3 climb. 

Alpecin-Fenix, QuickStep-AlphaVinyl and Groupama-FDJ are all helping to reduce the lead of the break. 

The first 4th category climb is approaching and the peloton is creeping closer to the 7 early breakaways.

60km to go

The Pisa Barro climb is only 2.3km long but is hurting the attackers.

It's a busy day of racing. If you want to see who won the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var race, click here. 

Today's stage of the Ruta del Sol has just finished. Click here if you want to see who won.

The gap at the summit of Pisa Barro is  3:05. 

Yesterday David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) missed a crash in the final 200 metres on the uphill finish at Fóia and won stage 2.

A bunch sprint formed in the final kilometre, with Tobias Foss (Jumbo-Visma) and Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe) bumping shoulders and going down short of the finish, which gave daylight to Gaudu for his first victory of the season. 

Trailing two seconds later was Samuele Battistella (Astana Qazaqstan) in second and then Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) in third.

To read our full stage report and see our photo gallery, click below.

Volta ao Algarve: David Gaudu wins crash-marred stage 2 atop Alto da Foia

Rafael Lourenco (Atum general / Tavira / Maria Nova Hotel) wins the intermediate sprint.

45km to go

The break is still working well together.

The sprint teams are upping the pace higher and higher. 

The hills come thick and fast in the final 40km.

They will be a real test for some of the sprinters.

QuickStep and Alpecin have formed a combined chase train as they pursue the break and pace their riders over the late climbs. 

They will have to ride carefully to not hurt the sprinters, while also pulling back the break.   

The gap is at 1:20

Crash! 

Several riders are down. 

It appeared to be a touch of wheels. Ben Tulett of Ineos was one of the riders to crash.

A local rider went down hard but is up and about to chase.

Up front there are only six riders left in the break as the race reaches a steep climb, which kicks-off the Bengado climb.  

Nicolas Saenz was dropped from the break as the local Tavfer team lead the peloton to try to pull the break back so João Matias can try to take the KOM jersey from Gaudu.

Alexander Kristoff has lost his lead out man. 

Now Cofidis has upped the pace. They're riding to make it hard for their rivals while Bryan Coquard is a better climber and so could win today.

Can Cofidis' effort be enough to hurt QuickStep and Jakobsen? It's a big ask.  

Three kilometre to go the summit of the climb and the break and peloton are playing games.

Gaudu looks good in yellow.

25km to go

This final part of the climb is at 5% and the riders in the break are attacking each other. 

Afonso Silva (Kelly / Simoldes / UDO) appears to be a pure climber and surges away.

Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi) is also there, as is Rafael Lourenco (Atum general / Tavira / Maria Nova Hotel). 

João Matias (Tavfer-Mortágua-Ovos Matinados) came up fast on the break and beat them to win the KOM sprint.

He has a total of 12 points and so will wear the KOM jersey on Saturday.

The peloton let the attacks go but will surely sweep them up and control the race in the final 20km.

The riders are diving south towards Faro now, on the southern Algarve coast. 

The finish is also fast, so fasten your seatbelts. 

Three riders are hanging out front but Alpecin-Fenix and Trek-Segafredo are leading the chase.

QuickStep seem to be holding fire for now.

10km to go

The sprint teams are lined up on different sides of the road.

Alpecin are on the left. Intermarche on the right, with QuickStep and Ineos down the middle.

The finishes rises gradually to the line, so timing and coming late will be important.

Arkea Samsic and Cofidis are also moving up. 

Surprisingly Ethan Hayter is at the back and so is not the Ineos sprinter today.

The speed is super high now.

Human Powered Health are on the front as the big open main road.

It's a drag race to the finish in central Faro. 

into the city streets, a roundabout and a short climb could spice up today's finale. 

The road narrows into one lane. 

2km to go!

Here comes QuickStep. 

Remco takes over but Jakobsen has lost position.

Last KM! 

The finish starts after this fast roundabout.

Here we go! 

Wow. Jakobsen went early but nobody could match his speed and power.

Jakobsen went deep but won it by a bike length. 

Jakobsen used Coquard as a final, extra lead out man and then kicked passed him.

Merlier came up too but didn't have the speed to beat him. 

This is the top 10.

It was Jakobsen's fourth win of the 2022 season.

This is the sprint.

David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) finished safely in the peloton and so kept the race lead before the 32km TT to Tavira on Saturday.

The French climber leads the USA's Brandon McNulty, Britain's Ethan Hayter of Ineos and Remco Evenepoel by a single second. 

The 32km TT will surely decide the final overall winner. 

Sprinters often seem to make winning look 'easy'. But this shows it is not. 

Here's Jakobsen's win.

"It was again perfect teamwork and I’m happy to have the strongest legs on the uphill. It’s a good sprint day in Faro," Jakobsen said. 

This finish is never easy, it’s about positioning in the last two kilometres,"  Jakobsen explained. 

"We were always there in the top ten places and then it’s about taking the roundabout, then it’s 400m uphill. 

"I launched my sprint at 200m to go with Coquard. He can do a sprint like this but it’s full gas to the line. I could see Tim Merlier behind but he couldn't pass me on the left." 

QuickStep again won the stage while also protecting Evenepoel and his chances of overall victory.

"We always try to win," Jakobsen said. 

"We lost Tim Declerq, he felt sick in the night and probably something with his stomach, and we missed him today but the rest of the guys did a super job. 

"They put me in a perfect position at the bottom of the climb. A special thanks to Kasper Asgreen. He kept me out of the wind all day and was even there in the finale, even though he was sick last week."  

Jakobsen won wearing the green points jersey.

"I love the colour green, it’s the sprinter’s colour I think," he said. 

"I already rode in the Vuelta a Espana, so I don’t mind riding in it and I’ll be happy to take home this green jersey if I finish tomorrow and the day after."

This is an interesting stat of Jakobsen's strike rate.

To read our full stage report and see our growing photo gallery, click below.

Volta ao Algarve: Jakobsen makes it two on stage 3

This is the top ten on GC before Saturday's key TT.

Barry Ryan is at the Volta ao Algarve for Cyclingnews, collecting exclusive interviews and news. 

He spoke to Geraint Thomas yesterday and will have news from today's stage very soon.

Geraint Thomas plots freer course to Tour de France in 2022

We'll have more live coverage and news from Portugal tomorrow. 

Boa noite!