For Evenepoel and Van Aert, Volta ao Algarve time trial is first test for Olympic ITT

Belgiums Wout van Aert competes in the mens cycling road individual time trial during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Fuji International Speedway in Oyama Japan on July 28 2021 Photo by Greg Baker AFP Photo by GREG BAKERAFP via Getty Images
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quickstep) will have their first ‘live’ time trial test of 2024 at the Volta ao Algarve on Saturday afternoon, in the shape of a rugged 22-kilometre course in and around the coastal town of Albufeira.

After rarely using his time trial bike over the winter, Van Aert has stated that he has very few expectations of an outstanding performance in the Algarve test. That said, in a year where he has made the Olympic time trial a major target, any race against the clock is important, be it the Algarve or the two, much longer, TTs in the Giro d’Italia.

Alasdair Fotheringham

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The IndependentThe GuardianProCycling, The Express and Reuters.