Volta ao Algarve stage 5 live coverage

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Follow along with the final stage of the race up the Alto do Malhão

Volta ao Algarve 2022 stage 5

(Image credit: Volta ao Algarve)

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Remco Evenepoel: I think this was my best time trial ever

Hayter limits losses but Evenepoel is out of reach at Volta ao Algarve

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Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the final stage of the Volta ao Algarve. Today's stage takes the riders over the Alto do Malhão twice, with an uphill finish on the climb at the end of the stage.

Following the sprint finish on stage 1 of the UAE Tour, the racing continues with the finale of the Volta ao Algarve.

The peloton have just started racing the stage from Lagoa and riders are trying to get away off the front to make it into the final breakaway of the 2022 race.

You can find out what happened on the opening stage of the UAE Tour here.

Nahuel D'Aquila (Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé) and Javier Romo (Astana Qazaqstan) are two non-starters on today's stage.

Yesterday's time trial saw Remco Evenepoel take full control of the race, beating Stefan Küng by 58 seconds over the 32-kilometre test. 

160km to go

Still no moves off the front just yet. Those riders hoping to make the day's break will have to wait.

Meanwhile, the final stage of the Ruta del Sol is reaching its conclusion. We'll have a report and news from the race up soon.

Poels is battling hard to hang on to yellow over in Spain. Not long to go there...

The Ruta del Sol has finished but we won't spoil the results here.

Here's our report page on the finale of the Ruta del Sol.

Attackers are still flying here in Algarve but nobody has managed to make it out front yet.

133km to go

Simon Guglielmi (Arkéa-Samsic) and Dries De Bondt (Alpecin-Fenix) are among the attackers on the climb.

Around an hour of racing done and still no breakaway here.

Luís Fernandes (Rádio Popular-Paredes-Boavista) led the way over the climb after attacking. 

Race leader Remco Evenepoel ahead of today's stage. He doesn't face a massive challenge to hold on and win today but still.. anything could happen.

123km to go

A small advantage for the attackers over that last climb...

They have since been brought back by the peloton.

Tomas Contte (Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé) grabbed the sprint ahead of Castroviejo, while Fabio Jaksobsen (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) took a point for third. The Dutchman therefore seals the points classification win.

112km to go

Thomas Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) is among those on the attack, though it is a large group on the move here.

Around 20 men have gone on the move here. It's a small gap to the peloton so we won't list all the names yet.

105km to go

Here are the men in today's breakaway...

None of the men in the break are GC threats. Zimmerman is best placed but he's 4:49 down on Evenepoel.

Euskaltel-Euskadi duo Unai Cuadrado and JJ Lobato have abandoned the race.

90km to go

Remco Evenepoel: I think this was my best time trial ever

There are lumpy and challenging roads all day today and the latest report from the break is that Pidcock and Riesebeek have been dropped from the front.

83km to go

Riesebeek and Pidcock actually crashed out of the break. Pidcock is now back in there but Riesebeek has now abandoned the race as a result.

72km to go

Hugo Nunes (Radio Popular-Boavista) is the latest man to abandon the Volta ao Algarve.

A shot of today's breakaway with Dries De Bondt at the front.

65km to go

Neves has now been caught by the rest of the breakaway. He took the maximum four points on the climb but it hasn't affected the KOM standings.

Still a gap of 2:20 between the peloton and breakaway at the moment. Not too much change in the overall race situation.

50km to go

Riders are attacking from the breakaway. It's early to make those kind of moves, but it's unlikely that the move will stay away to end as things stand. The gap to the peloton isn't that great.

There's been no separation at the front of th ebrek as a result of those moves anyway.

Dries De Bondt leads an attack from the break. Oliveira, Eenkhoorn, and Nicolau go with him.

43km to go

QuickStep, Alpecin-Fenix, Trek-Segafredo and Jumbo-Visma are working at the front of the peloton at the moment.

Still around two minutes from the leaders to the peloton. The main part of the break is around 30 seconds back.

36km to go

Pidcock leads the break back up to the four leaders. Around 10 men up front now.

De Bondt is once again pushing off the front on his own now.

The Belgian led the way over the climb of Alte. The first ascent of the Malhão will be next.

Several riders chasing De Bondt here but nobody is across to him yet.

Ivo Oliveira and Georg Zimmerman make it across to De Bondt.

Bora-Hansgrohe, Groupama-FDJ, and Arkéa-Samsic lead the peloton now.

Glassdrive-Q8-Anicolor attack from the peloton. It's Fábio Costa who now links up with teammate Reis and Euskaltel-Euskadi's Iker Ballarin from the early breakaway.

The lead trio now start the first ascent of the Alto do Malhão (the first time up – 2.6km at 9.2 per cent).

Groupama-FDJ lead the peloton into the climb. They are still around two minutes back from the leaders.

Now Ineos hit the front of the peloton with Castroviejo.

Evenepoel is right up there behind Castroviejo and Dani Martínez.

Zimmerman and De Bondt still together up front.

Martínez jumps! He's fourth overall and 1:30 down on Evenepoel.

Vlasov, Gaudu, McNulty, Evenepoel, Foss, Higuita lead the way across to Martínez but the Colombian tries another move.

Evenepoel sticks to Martínez as the GC men hoover up breakaway riders.

Now a small group of GC men together.

24km to go

Evenepoel has Lampaert back with him from the breakaway.

Lampaert, Evenepoel Foss, Martínez, McNulty, Vine, Gaudu are all in the GC group now, along with several riders dropped from the break – Staune-Mittet, Nicolau and Gazzoli included.

This GC group isn't far behind the two leaders now. Maybe 20 seconds or so.

19km to go

Now De Bondt will work for Vine just as Staune-Mittet and Lampaert have worked for Foss and Evenepoel.

It's mostly downhill and flat roads now until the riders hit the Malhão for the final time.

A bit of news from elsewhere today...

Poels hails 'special' support from Haig, Landa, Caruso in Ruta del Sol victory

The biggest GC name missing from the lead group here is Ineos Grenadiers' Ethan Hayter, who lay in second overall after yesterday's time trial. As things stand, McNulty will take his spot while his teammate Martínez will jump up to third overall.

De Bondt's job working for Vine is done now and he drops away from the group. Lampaert takes it up ahead of Staune-Mittet.

Lampaert is pushing a hard pace on the uphill sections to prevent any attacks. A few riders are struggling, including Nicolau.

9km to go

7km to go

A second group is now closing in on the leaders. They are just 10-15 seconds down here. Hayter must be in there as Ineos Grenadiers are leading the way.

5km to go

Asgreen and Vervaeke are back for Evenepoel.

It looks like a group of around 30 at the front now, though it will soon be slimmed down again when they hit the Malhão for the final time.

3km to go

Here we go. Another 2.6 kilometres at 9.2 per cent coming up.

Lampaert leads the way up with Evenepoel in third wheel.

McNulty, Vine and Gaudu are right behind Evenepoel, with Foss, Martínez, and Higuita. next in line.

1.5km to go

Vervaeke pulls off and Evenepoel takes it up with an acceleration!

Gaudu, McNulty, Higuita, Martínez are up there.

1km to go

Evenepoel, Gaudu, McNulty, Martínez, Higuita is the order.

Evenepoel not asking for any turns here.

He's not losing the yellow jersey but will he win the stage?

500m to go

McNulty is first to go!

Evenepoel can't match the acceleration.

Martínez goes through!

It's Martínez vs Higuita!

Higuita takes the win in a two-up sprint. 

Evenepoel takes the overall ahead of McNulty and Martínez.

Another stage race victory for this man. 

Evenepoel takes the overall by 1:17 from McNulty, while Martínez finishes third at 1:21.

Here's the victory shot – Higuita celebrates as he beats Martínez to the line.

Check out our report for the final stage of the Volta ao Algarve here.

We have news pieces coming in from the race with interviews with Evenepoel and McNulty as well as one with Higuita tomorrow morning. Stay tuned...

That's all from our live coverage of the 2022 Volta ao Algarve, in any case.

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