Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease A Bike) could not have completed on the ultimate podium of the Volta ao Algarve, and even within the prime 5 total, however because of his devastating long-range assault on stage 5, the Belgian nonetheless turned a considerably predictable finale into an actual cliff-hanger.
After his much-heralded time trial victory on stage 4 and his second place on the Alto do Foia two days earlier than, any last-minute challenges to race chief Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) seemed unlikely, with the title of the winner on Sunday’s ultimate summit end on the Alto do Malhão the one main factor of the 2024 Volta ao Algarve left to be resolved.
However Van Aert clearly thought in any other case. Round 42 kilometres from the end of stage 5’s hilly trek, a long-range assault by the Belgian, efficiently bridging throughout to the remnants of a 20-man early break together with Ben Healy (EF Schooling-EasyPost) all of the sudden seemingly laid the race large open once more.
Ably supported by Jumbo-Visma domestique Per Strand Hagenes, who dropped again from the break, one Aert’s benefit together with Healy hovered simply above the 1:18 hole on GC between himself and race chief Evenepoel, and compelled Soudal-QuickStep to place their collective foot to the accelerator behind.
Van Aert and Healy’s hard-fought transfer lastly fizzled out on the foot of the second, definitive ascent of the Malhão after Soudal had used up all their domestiques and had some well timed help from Bora-Hansgrohe. However collectively along with his dash stage win on Friday, Van Aert might then head house for Belgium and the Opening Weekend that his gutsy long-range assault had added a complete further flavour to the 2024 Volta ao Algarve, simply when it appeared there have been nearly no components left to place within the combine.
“We tried to create a shock, we needed to place stress on the opposite groups and that labored effectively,” Van Aert, lastly thirteenth on the stage and seventh total, informed reporters on the summit.
“Once I attacked it seemed good, though I already felt that Healy was somewhat higher than me.”
“I had studied the course effectively upfront, and with my assault, we have been additionally capable of put stress on the opposite groups.”
“We had additionally hoped to create somewhat extra chaos beforehand in order that a number of extra workforce staff would have been dropped. As a substitute, the bunch was nonetheless too intact behind once I went for it, which was a disgrace. That meant my assault had much less probability of success.”
“Lastly the peloton got here again fairly rapidly” – albeit lowered to simply over 20 models because of the all-out pursuit behind by Evenepoel’s and Dani Martinez’s domestiques – “so I intentionally sat as much as strive one thing on the final a part of the climb.”
“Sadly, that did not show to be potential, however I’m glad with how this final day performed out all the identical.”
Fairly other than Van Aert’s willingness to throw warning to the wind, his teammate Jan Tratnik was capable of end off the Volta ao Algarve with a 3rd place total. Set to kind a part of the Het Nieuwsblad squad along with Van Aert, that end result bodes greater than effectively for the defending champion of Belgium’s first house race of the season. Not solely that, Sepp Kuss backed up his already notable sixth place within the Clásica Jaén, with one other two strong rides on the Algarve’s two summit finishes, claiming third and sixth respectively en path to an eighth place total.
However the brightest star of the Visma-Lease A Bike present this week has very arguably been Van Aert, each because of his stage 3 bunch dash win and his late assault on stage 5. Going for stage 3 might need solely been deliberate 10 kilometres from the end in a last-minute resolution, whereas stage 5’s transfer was extra meditated, however each have been sudden by the general public and added a welcome shock issue to the race.
 “I’m glad. We’re on the final day and the legs nonetheless really feel good, so it has been a very good week,” Van Aert stated. “I gained a stage, and as well as, I used to be capable of present myself in two troublesome levels. The terrain was a bit too robust for me to win, however it was lovely all the identical.”
