‘Last-minute decision’ for Wout van Aert nets Belgian first road victory of season

TAVIRA PORTUGAL FEBRUARY 16 Wout Van Aert of Belgium and Team Visma Lease a Bike celebrates at finish line as stage winner during the 50th Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta 2024 Stage 3 a 1922km stage from Vila Real de Santo Antonio to Tavira on February 16 2024 in Tavira Portugal Photo by Dario BelingheriGetty Images
Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) celebrates at finish line as stage 3 winner of Volta ao Algarve (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)

Less than a week after Wout van Aert kicked off his 2024 road campaign by leading out Visma-Lease A Bike fastman Olav Kooij to triumph in the Clásica de Almería, at the Volta ao Algarve on Friday it was the Belgian’s turn to blast to a sprint win.

While Kooij’ victory was the outcome of a typical mass dash for the line of some 70 riders, Van Aert’s first win of his season was much more opportunistic, coming after the peloton shattered in the final kilometre.

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.