Volta Algarve 2023 – Stage 4 [FULL STAGE]

February 18, 2023

Volta Algarve 2023 – Stage 4 – Albufeira – Alto do Malhão : 177,9 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.

Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) shot to his first win of the season on stage 4 of the Volta ao Algarve, beating João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal-QuickStep) on the punchy uphill finish at the Alto do Malhão.

The Yorkshire climber showed fine form on the penultimate stage of the Portuguese stage race, attacking on the final slope of the hilliest day of the five-day race and going on to win with Almeida coming in second at the same time. Van Wilder was five seconds behind the two.

Pidcock put in his attack in the final kilometre of the 2.5km, 9.8% climb, where only Van Wilder and DSM neo-pro Oscar Onley could keep the pace. Eventually, Almeida worked his way back and Onley faded, though Pidcock’s final burst for the line was too much for the home favourite, who took second.

“As a team, we’ve kind of messed up two stages that we could have won,” Pidcock said at the finish.

“Yesterday, with Filippo [Ganna], I think he could have won the stage. And on the second stage, we did a brilliant job and then in the last kilometre, we kind of messed it up. Today we made sure we got it right.

“I went, thinking the finish was where it was before,” Pidcock said. “Then I turned left and there was another 70 metres. So I thought someone was coming with me. But I’m not sure how much I won by. In that kind of situation, you’re going full gas, so it really doesn’t matter what’s happening.”

Pidcock’s win sees him move up into the race lead. He holds the yellow jersey by a slim five seconds ahead of Van Wilder. Almeida is sitting third at six seconds with the decisive time trial in Lagoa still to come tomorrow.

How it unfolded
The penultimate stage of the Volta ao Algarve was one set up for the climbers, with five king of the mountain opportunities peppered along the 178km route from Albufeira to Alto do Malhão.

It was a sunny and mild day when the peloton set off from Albufeira, losing only two riders, Owen Geleijn (Jumbo-Visma) and João Matias (Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mortágua), who didn’t sign on before the stage.

A breakaway didn’t take long to establish, in fact, just three kilometres into the stage, four riders set off out of the bunch and immediately gained an advantage. Mathias Vacek (Trek-Segafredo), Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ) and Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-QuickStep) were quick to get off the front, with Asgreen keen on collecting king of the mountain points.

With the time trial coming up tomorrow, Asgreen eventually sealed himself firmly in the mountains jersey taking the maximum points in all but the final KOM climb.

The group of four quickly gained a four-minute advantage as the EF Education-EasyPost team rode at the front of the peloton for Magus Cort, who started the day in yellow with an 18-second advantage ahead of Rui Costa (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty).

Towards the halfway point, UAE Team Emirates started working alongside Bora-Hansgrohe at the front to bring back the quartet, and with 30km left in the stage, it was all back together for the final two climbs.

A dangerous move came from Rémi Cavagna (Soudal-QuickStep) just a few kilometres later, when he flew off the front with a strong solo attack. Seeing an opportunity to work with the French time trial specialist, Dries De Pooter (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) bridged across, and the duo worked well together to squeeze out a 36-second advantage before Ineos and EF Education Easypost drew them back in before the final climb to the finish line.

Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe) was the first to test his climbing legs as the gradient grew, with teammate Jai Hindley having also made a move. However, Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) quickly countered and drew out a select group.

Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal-QuickStep), Pidcock, Higuita, João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and Kevin Vermaerke (Team DSM) were alone in the final kilometre to contest the win. Further back, race leader Cort saw his yellow jersey slip out of his hands after he couldn’t hold the sharp pace of the climbers.

When Pidcock launched his final blow, only Almeida could respond to the Ineos rider but didn’t have enough left in the tank to challenge him for the win.

Results :