Volta ao Algarve: Cees Bol wins stage 3

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Cees Bol (Sunweb) won stage 3 of the Volta ao Algarve, beating Sacha Modolo (Alpecin-Fenix) and Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-QuickStep) in a bunch finish in Tavira. Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-QuickStep) came home in the main peloton to retain the overall lead ahead of Saturday's hilltop finish at Malhão.

On the opening day in Lagos, Bol had to settle for 6th place behind his fellow countryman and contemporary Jakobsen, but he was an emphatic winner here as he emulated another Dutchman, 2018 and 2019 victor Dylan Groenewegen, by mastering the slightly uphill finale in Tavira.

Sunweb's red jerseys were prominent on the run-in to the finish and Bol hit the final right-hand corner in third wheel, tucked in behind Florian Senechal (Deceuninck-QuickStep) and his own lead-out man, Casper Pedersen.

Pedersen had spent most of stage 2 off the front of the peloton in the early break, but he showed few signs of fatigue here, as he swooped to the front and delivered a smooth lead-out for Bol. With 200 metres to go, Bol lifted himself from the saddle and surged to the front.

Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) was parked on his wheel but never looked like getting on terms once Bol opened his sprint. A fast-finishing Modolo and Jakobsen came a little bit closer, but Bol had plenty to spare as he flashed across the line in first place.

"It's a good way to start this season," said Bol. "With the team, in the first sprint we made some mistakes, but today we really nailed it. and I was happy I could finish it off.

"I just followed my lead-out, Casper, and when I saw the sign 200m I just went full and I was first to the line."

Bol turned professional with Sunweb in 2019 and scored a hat-trick of wins in his debut season, including Nokere Koerse and a stage of the Tour of California. This early win in Portugal suggested that the 24-year-old will continue to progress in 2020, though he downplayed the idea that he has placed himself among the contenders for Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, where the parcours has been weighted against the sprinters this year. "Next week in Kuurne is a different race but for sure we will try our best in the race again," he said.

While Bol opened his account for the year in some style, it was a frustrating afternoon for Elia Viviani, who is still seeking his first victory since leaving Deceuninck-QuickStep for Cofidis this winter. The Italian's teammates helped to chase down the day's break but he found himself positioned a long way back in the final kilometre, and he had to settle for 7th place in the sprint.

How it unfolded

The peloton was bathed in pleasant sunshine as it rolled out from Faro on Friday afternoon for a stage that seemed destined from the outset to finish in a bunch sprint. That did not deter a trio of early attackers from trying to beat the odds, and Gotzon Martin (Fundación-Orbea), Tiago Antunes (Efapel) and Alexander Grigoryev (Atum general/Tavira/Maria Nova Hotel) forged clear in the opening 5km, building a maximum lead of 4 minutes before the sprinters' teams began to peg them back.

Cofidis and Deceuninck-QuickStep were prominent in the early part of the pursuit, while a determined delegation from UAE Team Emirates also played their part as the race drew closer to Tavira. The escapees were swept back up with a shade under 20km to go, and though Bruno Silva attempted to slip away on the run-in, there would be no denying the sprinters on this occasion.

The finale was also marred by a crash that saw Trek-Segafredo Edward Theuns, Koen de Kort and Jasper Stuven hit the ground. All three riders remounted and made it to the finish, while in their absence, Ryan Mullen used his power to claim a creditable 6th in the bunch sprint.

Overall leader Remco Evenepoel enjoyed an untroubled afternoon after claiming the yellow jersey atop the Alto da Fóia on Thursday, while Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) remains in second overall on the same time as the youngster. Dan Martin lies third at 2 seconds, ahead of Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates) and Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal). 

On Saturday, the Volta ao Algarve peloton faces a stiff uphill finish at Malhão, while the race concludes with a 20km time trial in Lagoa on Sunday.

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