Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel have both left calling cards atop the Alto da Fóia on recent editions of the Volta ao Algarve, but only Remco Evenepoel had his victory immortalised in stone.
In September of last year, the local government erected a statue on the mountaintop to highlight the region’s status as a cyclo-tourism hub, and the chosen sculptor was commissioned to replicate Evenpoel’s one-armed victory salute from his triumph there in February 2020.
The talented QuickStep-AlphaVinyl rider returns to the Volta ao Algarve this week as the favourite for overall victory. He has already trained in the region this winter and a reconnaissance of the finale to stage 2 of the Volta ao Algarve doubled as an opportunity for Evenepoel to assess the sculptured likeness created by Carlos de Oliveira Correia.
“We went to climb to train and we went to the top,” Evenepoel said in a video released by his QuickStep-AlpaVinyl team on the eve of the Volta ao Algarve.
“I wanted to see the statue. It’s the same movement I did from my bike, so it’s really cool to have such a nice statue in an area where I have only been once. I think it’s one of the most famous climbs here.”
In keeping with recent tradition, the stage 2 ascent of the Alto da Fóia, the highest point of the Serra de Monchique, is the first of two summit finishes on this week’s Volta ao Algarve, with the grand finale coming on the Alto do Malhão on the final day.
The Fóia drags upwards for 7.5 km at an average of 7.3% and while the peloton is whittled down on the lower slopes, the decisive move typically comes in the final kilometre, as was the case when Evenepoel etched out a statement victory two years ago.
“I had the amazing idea to start my sprint with 500m to go because I know I’m not the fastest guy in a 200m sprint, so I wanted to make it a long sprint,” Evenepoel recalled of his 2020 win.
“When I looked back the first time, I didn’t see anybody following me, so I already thought I’d won the race. Then when we took the corner with 100m to go, I looked back and I saw [Max] Schachmann was coming really close, so then I had to make a final acceleration.”
Although the Alto da Fóia will set the tone for the general classification battle at this Volta ao Algarve, the race is likely to be effectively decided in the 32.2km time trial from Vila Real de Santo António to Tavira on the penultimate day.
The sheer length of the test lends its outsized importance in a five-day race and Evenepoel, a past European champion in the discipline, stands to benefit, though riders like Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) should also be to the fore.
Evenepoel conceded a leader’s jersey for the first time in his career at the recent Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, when he was unable to follow Aleksandr Vlasov on the gravel ascent to Antenas del Maigmó on stage 3. Evenepoel had already showcased his early form with a solo victory on the opening day and he still finished second overall in Valencia, but the presence of a time trial in the Algarve presents him with a clear opportunity to bounce back immediately from that rare stage race defeat.
“When you come back to a race you’ve done already, you want to do as good as the last time or even better. But it’s always difficult to predict the race in advance,” said Evenepoel.
“We did some recons of the stages and we went to see the new time trial course, which is really hard and long. The time trial will be really important for the classification.”
Evenepoel is accompanied in the QuickStep-AlphaVinyl line-up by Fabio Jakobsen, who chalked up a pair of early wins in Valencia.
“We hope to take stages with Fabio,” said Evenepoel, who signed off with something of an understatement: “I have quite good hopes for the race.”
