Volta Algarve 2023 – Stage 3 [FULL STAGE]

February 17, 2023

Volta Algarve 2023 – Stage 3 – Faro – Tavira : 203,1 km

For many, the Volta ao Algarve marks the beginning of the road racing season in Europe – the point at which most of the biggest names in men’s cycling make their seasonal debuts and begin their preparations for the biggest races of the season. The five-day stage race, which tours Portugal’s southern Algarve region, typically takes place in mid-February, prompting many one-day specialists to use it as a racing tune-up ahead of the Spring Classics. Grand Tour riders also use it as an opportunity to dust off the winter cobwebs. Just a year after its debut edition in 1960, the Volta ao Algarve experienced a 16-year hiatus and was struck off the professional cycling calendar. It made a grand return in 1977, however, and has taken place every year since. In recent times the race has followed a tried and tested formula, with four road stages across the hilly Algarve and one individual time trial.

Race leader Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost) claimed a dramatic victory on stage 2 of the Volta ao Algarve in Tavira to increase his overall lead, sprinting from a six-man break just as they had been caught by the bunch on the cusp of the finishing straight.

The Dane had sparked the attack at the intermediate sprint with 24km remaining and he still had the strength to claim a dominant victory just when it appeared the peloton had finally snuffed out the move.

Cort opened his effort from 300 metres on the rise towards to the line, ripping clear of fellow escapee Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), who had to settle for second place, while Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe) sprinted from the bunch to take third ahead of Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ).

“I was not expecting it all,” Cort said. “Actually, the idea was just to get through the stage as easy as possible and not even try in the sprint, but QuickStep were keeping the break very close so then we had the idea of going for the bonus sprint to see if I could get some seconds for the classification.”

Cort got that and more. The stage had long appeared to be ambling towards the anticipated bunch sprint, but the race suddenly ignited at the intermediate sprint at Vila Real Santo António, where Ganna stretched out the peloton in a bid to tee up teammate Tom Pidcock.

Cort snagged the bonus seconds ahead of Rui Costa (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) and Pidock, and he didn’t need much convincing to continue his effort when it became clear that he had dragged a small group clear of the bunch.

With Ganna, world time trial champion Tobias Foss (Jumbo-Visma) and Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) also on board, there was no shortage of firepower out in front, nor was there any lack of motivation – all six riders will have designs on high overall finishes on Sunday.

“It was a hard sprint on cobbles, and suddenly there a small group with a gap,” Cort said. “I didn’t really think about it, but the Ineos guys and Foss, they came straightaway and said, ‘Hip, hip, let’s go.’ I was keen straightaway to go on the attack with those guys. It was a great group to ride the last 25km. It was the perfect team time trial team we put together.”

Within 5km, the sextet had opened a lead of half a minute over the bunch, with first Soudal-QuickStep and then Uno-X working desperately to sew the race back together again. The cohesion and quality of the group ahead meant the chase was a thankless task, however, and with 7km remaining, the gap was still 15 seconds.

The break appeared to be caught just within sight of the line, however, only for Cort to kick once again, and his well-timed acceleration carried him clear of both the break and the closing bunch towards his second stage victory in as many days.

In the overall standings, Cort now holds a lead of 18 over Rui Costa and 20 over Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal-QuickStep) ahead of Saturday’s decisive summit finish on the Alto do Malhão.

How it unfolded
Stage 3 of the Volta ao Algarve was a long day in the saddle with 203 kilometres from Faro to Tavira. The flat profile of the final 30km and only two categorised climbs early in the stage meant it looked destined to be a big day for the sprinters.

Fabio Costa (Glassdrive-Q8-Anicolor) sparked the day’s early, rather hopeful breakaway with an attack from kilometre zero, and he was joined by five riders from the regional Continental teams, all keen to get television time.

Daniel Viegas (Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé Concelho), Gonçalo Amado (Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mortágua), Pedro Andrade (ABTF Betão-Feirense) and Guillermo Garcia Janeiro (Radio Popular-Paredes-Boavista) all made the move, as well as Aleksandr Grigorev (Efapel), who had been both an attacker and a faller the previous day.

Grigorev clearly recovered well, taking the points on the two climbs of the day, the category 3 Portela de Corcha and Cachopo. The five riders weren’t given a very long leash, however, gaining a few minutes before Soudal-Quickstep began bringing the gap steadily down for Fabio Jakobsen.

Viegas was the first rider dropped as the gap hovered just over one minute. Soon another Continental rider, Samuel Blanco (AP Hotels & Resorts-Tavira-SC Farense) defied the Soudal-Quickstep pacesetting and attacked with 58km to go in a futile attempt to bridge.

Blanco never made it and the gap remained at a minute until Costa attacked his companions on an unclassified climb with 48km to go, and gained a bit more time as the other four dangled like a carrot in front of Tim Declercq. By 35km to go, Costa was in sight on the wide-open highway and his TV time would be over soon afterwards.

At that point, Tavira looked destined to play host to the expected bunch sprint, but the script took an unexpected deviation in the fishing town of Vila Real de Santo António, not far from the Guadiana river and the border with Spain. It wasn’t a surprise to see Ganna wind up the pace for Pidcock ahead of the intermediate sprint there, nor was it remotely out of character for Cort to be wise to the danger and claim the bonus seconds.

It was perhaps only to be expected, too, that the impromptu coalition of strongmen in front would press on once they found themselves with a gap, and it was immediately clear that Soudal-QuickStep and Uno-X would struggle to peg them back.

When UAE Team Emirates joined the chase in the final two kilometres, however, it looked as though the day was returning to its preordained script, and the six leaders seemed to have been caught with a shade under 500 metres to go. Cort, however, was able to conjure up one last deviation from the script.

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