As it happened: Martinez out powers Evenepoel to win Volta ao Algarve stage 2

Hello, Bon Dia and welcome to our live coverage of stage 2 of the Volta ao Algarve!

The peloton has just headed out to the start of the stage in Lagoa and the flag has dropped.

A reminder of the results of yesterday's opening stage which ended with a bunch sprint finish...

Volta ao Algarve: Gerben Thijssen fastest in opening sprint stage to take first leader's jersey

A messy bunch sprint opens five-day race in Lagos

Four classified climbs on today's stage – Alto da Choça (1.8km at 6.3%) Alferce (3 km at 7.2%), Pomba (3.8 km at 8%), and the finisher at Fóia (7.5km at 5.9%).

Two-time race winner Remco Evenepoel is among the big favourites for glory today...

Remco Evenepoel squeaks past big crash on first day of Volta ao Algarve – Belgian returns to scene of summit victory in 2020 at Alto da Fóia on stage 2

164km to go

Attacks flying off the front at this early stage. Astana Qazaqstan's Max Walker is among the riders trying a move.

He's joined out front by Martin Urianstad Bugge (Uno-X Mobility), Pedro Silva (ABTF Betão-Feirense), Aleksandr Grigorev (Efapel), and César Martingil (Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mortágua).

Several more riders chasing.

Ruben Simão (APHotels & Resorts-Tavira-SC Farense), Oliver Rees (Sabgal-Anicolor), Gonçalo Amado (Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mortágua) are trying to get across.

1:40 between the leaders and the peloton.

Meanwhile, the chasers have 30 seconds to make up.

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158km to go

The two breakaway groups are together now. Eight riders in the lead.

The men out front today – Max Walker (Astana Qazaqstan), Martin Urianstad Bugge (Uno-X Mobility), Pedro Silva (ABTF Betão-Feirense), Aleksandr Grigorev (Efapel), Ruben Simão (APHotels & Resorts-Tavira-SC Farense), Oliver Rees (Sabgal-Anicolor), César Martingil, Gonçalo Amado (Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mortágua)

Amado was in the break yesterday, picking up four mountain classification points along the way to take second in the competition behind Tomas Contte (Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé Concelho).

Three minutes between break and peloton now. The peloton are happy to let this group mostly made up of riders from Portuguese Continental teams escape.

Around 60km to go on largely flat roads before the riders hit the first climb of the day, the Alto da Choça.

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It should be quite a quiet run to the first climb now, with the breakaway of the day already sorted.

154km to go

There are more hills after that opening climb, but the final three classified climbs of the day are packed into the final 35km of the stage.

A look at the jersey holders at the start of the stage – plus Geraint Thomas.

Gerben Thijssen is in the race leader's yellow jersey while Tomas Contte is in the blue of mountain classification leader. Marijn van den Berg wears the green points jersey after taking second on stage 1. Magnus Sheffield (not pictured) is in the white best young rider's jeresy.

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With Remco Evenepoel keen to win the stage, it's no surprise to see his Soudal-Quick Step team working on the front of the peloton and chasing the attack. 

Intermarche-Wanty are also helping as stage 1 winner Gerben Thijssen wears the leader's yellow jersey.

It has started to rain on the riders. Spring has still to arrive in the Algarve.  

The hills are starting to stand out on he profile of the 171km stage but only get more frequent and harder as the stage goes on.

The wind and rain are an extra difficulty.  

Geraint Thomas spoke to Eurosport before the start, explaining why he is making his season debut in the Algarve. 

"It’s a nice way to start the season: a couple of sprints, two hard days and a TT as well. It’s a bit of everything, with a strong field, generally good weather too, so a good place to start," he said.

Thomas will ride both the Giro and the Tour this year and so made it clear he will not be a GC contender this week. 

"I won’t be racing too much before the Giro but I’ll do some good hit outs and this is the first of them," he said.  

"I feel okay, better than this time last year. But that’s not too hard to be honest, with the start (to 2023) that I had. 

"I feel good enough to help the boys. I certainly won’t be going for the win myself. It’s all about just working hard and getting in some good intensity."  

The possible headwind on the climb to the finish could have an impact on the race. It was so strong there was some speculation that the stage could be changed but no longer seems to be the case.  

However it will change race tactics. 

"If there’s a sprint at the top and a headwind, it could be a stalemate for the majority of the climb," Thomas suggested.  

"It might play into Pippo’s (Filippo Ganna) hands. We’ll see how everyone is on the road and how it goes."  

The gap to the peloton is up to 4:40.

This is the break of the day. 

It's great to see Britain's Max Walker in the attack. He only joined Astana from the Continental Saint Piran team ten days ago.  

Tom Pidcock could be a contender for the finish and the GC on his season debut. 

He revaled to Sporza that he has been working on his time trialing and so could limit any losses to the likes of Remco Evenepoel.

"Yesterday I had a bit of a hard time because I still lack competitive rhythm. But it already felt better than last year," the Brit told Renaat Schotte, Sporza's man on the race.

"My (TT) position is better and I feel more comfortable on the time trial bike. I'm curious to see where I will end up." 

The categorised climbs are about to begin. This is the menu for the day: 

94.2 km from the finish: Alto da Choca (1.8 km and 6.3% average)

25.6 km from the finish: Alferce (3 km and 7.2%)

13.7 km from the finish: Pomba (3.8 km and 8%)

7.5 km from the finish: start of the final climb Alto da Foia (7.5 km and 5.9%)  

The final 30km are especially difficult. It should make for a great finale. 

Max Walker (Astana Qazaqstan) leads the break at the Volt ao Algarve.

100km to go

The riders will soon face the Alto da Choca climb. There are no easy roads from this point.

Neo pro Warre Vangheluwe (Soudal Quick-Step) has lead the chase so far but Evenepoel has now sent two more teammates to the front. He wants the attack under control, so he can have a chance of the stage victory.

The peloton has slowed on the climb. The gap to the eight-rider attack is up to 5:20. 

Alasdair Fotheringham is at the finish of the stage for Cyclingnews.

He sent us this photograph, showing that it is misty but not too cold at the summit of the Alto da Foia.

87km to go

Meanwhile, the break is on the climb up to the mid-stage plateau, as the peloton descend off the Alto da Choca. 

Gonçalo Amado is the first rider to drop back from the break. He has a knee problem. 

The roads are dry for the moment as Soudal-Quick Step lead the chase of the attack. 

75km to go

The rest of the peloton is tucked in behind them.

Andreas Leknessund and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) have attacked the peloton together. This is an interesting tactical move. 

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) has placed four teammates on the front to lead the chase. He has taken full control of the chase.

Martin Urianstad Bugge (Uno-X Mobility) is the attack and so Uno-X could soon have three riders up front. 

The gap to the duo is only 1:20. This an audacious and interesting move.

That was quick!  

Andreas Leknessund and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) have caught the break. 

60km to go

The riders are going through a forest, with the high trees protecting them from the strong winds.   

The peloton is also moving fast, with the gap to the attackers down to 2:30.

The riders face a fast 20km of descending off the plateau. The GC rider teams are gathering on the front to protect their leaders.

45km to go

The break is pushing on, driven by the three Uno-X riders but the peloton does not want to let the gap rise. 

EF are now also on the front, leading the chase.  

Lidl-Trek, EF Education EasyPost, and Alpecin-Deceuninck have joined forces in the chase, ramping up the intensity of the chase and the race.

40km to go

The gap is up to 2:40. 

There is a lot of climbing to come and time bonuses at intermediate sprints too, but the peloton face a huge challenge to catch the 7 riders left up front. 

The riders are in the valley now. In 5km the climbs begin. Get ready! 

These are the climbs to come. They ramp up one after another with very little descending. 

25.6 km from the finish: Alferce (3 km and 7.2%)

13.7 km from the finish: Pomba (3.8 km and 8%)

7.5 km from the finish: start of the final climb Alto da Foia (7.5 km and 5.9%)  

The Uno-X riders are naturally driving the break along after putting three riders in the move. 

Their red jerseys are taking turns on the front, riding at close to 50km/h. 

30km to go

The peloton is packed across he road on a rising section. 

There is an air of panic amongst them. Did they let the break and the UNo-X rider gain too much time? 

Upfront, Jonas Abrahamsen is doing a lot of the work for Uno-X Mobility. 

He appears to be the lesser climber and so is sacrificing his legs to help his teammates stay way. 

It's tough for the GC teams because the climbs and hilly terrain mean they don't have a lot of riders to sacrifice for the chase. 

20km to go

As the gradient hurts, the break falls apart. 

Russia's Grigorev sprints to take the mountain points at the top of the Alferce climb. 

Now Martin Urianstad Bugge leads the attack for Uno-X. 

There are only 4 riders left up front.

The chase is at 1:30 but the clock keeps changing. The chase is definitely on, with EF, Visma and other teams all driving the pace. 

Ouch! A hairpin bend is steep and hurts the break. 

Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X) takes off alone in pursuit of a stage victory.  

Behind the peloton is splitting as James Knox rides on the front for Soudal.  

15km to go

Soudal have four riders ahead of Evenepoel, with Visma lined out behind him. 

The Soudal riders are Knox, Cattaneo and Landa. 

Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Wanty) has already been dropped and so we will see new race leader at the hilltop finish at Alto da Foia. 

As Lidl-Trek point out, its windy at the finish.

Andreas Leknessund  (Uno-X Mobility) powers on out front but he is suffering on the steepest sections of the climb. 

He has reached the top of the Pomba climb. The final climb Alto da Foia climb (7.5 km and 5.9%) starts in 6km. 

Britain's Max Walker is still out front but will soon be caught by the peloton.

The steep final section of the Pomba climb hurts  many, including Geraint Thomas and Pippo Ganna. 

As they warned they would, Soudal want to get rid of many of Evenepoel's rivals. 

The gap to Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X) is now 45 seconds. 

Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X) takes the late intermediate sprint and so six seconds.

Soon behind, Wout Van Aert surges to finish second and take four seconds. He was playing a stopper role to stop Evenepoel of others taking them. 

Poor Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X). The GC group can see him now. 

He is going to be caught with 6km to race. He is the most combative of the day but surely wanted more from his attack. 

Up close to Evenepoel are Sepp Kuss, Tao Geoghegan Hart and Tom Pidcock.   

Aresmann is there alongside Pidcock. 

There are 20 or so riders in the GC group. A danger? Magnus Cort.  

Morgado of UAE is also there. 

Bob Jungels is there for Higuita and Martinez. That's a nice trio for Bora. 

James Knox is doing a superb job for Evenepoel. He's been on the front for a long spell. 

Magnus Cort won the stage last year after surviving on the climb. Can he do the same? 

4km to go

The road is rising but its not steep, so the speed is high and slipstreaming is vital. 

Bagioli of Lidl-Trek and Del Toro of UAE are dropped. 

Marc Hirschi is dropped and Luca Vergallito of Alpecin too.  

Magnus Sheffield is also turfed out the back. The back door is wide open.

Knox is still on the front, putting out the painful watts and so hurting everyone else. 

3km to go

Remco Evenepoel looks so, so good and may soon make a move. 

Th wind is blowing fro the riders' left and so slows the pace. 

Bang! Jan Christen of UAE attacks first. 

Landa hits the front to take control and close things down. 

Kung is the latest big man to be dropped. 

1km to go!

Get ready for Remco to launch! 

The riders climb into the mist.

Only ten riders are still on the wheels. 

Boom! Remo attacks! 

Dani Martinez goes with him!  

Martinez hits the front and Evenepoel can't get back to him. 

Martinez wins the stage! 

Everyone else is lined out behind them at the line after a 400m sprint to the line.  

Remco wanted the stage win but Martinez surged past him. 

Sepp Kuss was third just a few seconds back, with Tao Geoghegan Hart just behind too.  

Thanks to his stage win, Dani Martinez, who won the Volta ao Algarve in 2023, is the new race leader.

Tom Pidcock finished sixth, at eight seconds, like Geoghegan Hart.

Thanks to the time bonuses, Martinez leads Evenepoel by four seconds, with Kuss third on GC at 12 seconds.

Dani Martinez smiled after his win. It's not often anyone defeats Remco Evenepoel on a fast rising finish like that. 

"We faced some difficult rivals but everyone did a fantastic job. In the final, in the sprint, I had good legs and I won it well," he said.  

Martinez won the GC at the Volta ao Algarve and appears ready to target a second victory. The Colombian can time trial well and is clearly on form.  

"I came with the mentality of doing well again this year but the riders here are on good form," he said modestly.

"Today was an important stage. We got through it well and so we’re ready for the next few days. 

"Marco Hller, my teammate, fell yesterday and Alex Hajek abandoned but we’ll still work together 100%." 

This is the shot as Dani Martinez won the stage. 

He had time to look back to check where Remco Eveneopol was he hit the finish line. 

This was the moment Remco crossed the line. 

He might not be too happy about being beaten but Dani Martinez was clearly stronger in the sprint to the final corner and ten through the curves to the line.  

Tao Geoghegan Hart was a few seconds further back but he is surely happy with his performance, his his first important test on a hilly finish since his terrible crash at the 2023 Giro.

Thanks for joining our full live coverage of stage 2 of the Volta ao Algarve. 

To read our full stage report and see the a growing photo gallery and race results, click below. 

It was a fascinating day of racing in the Portuguese hills. 

Volta ao Algarve: Dani Martínez out-sprints Remco Evenepoel on Alto da Foia

Evenepoel opted to warm down on his TT bike after the finish. 

Evenepoel had an air of disappointment after all the work by his Soudal-Quick Step teammates but sportingly acknowledged that Martinez was a deserved winner.

“It's sad that we're the only ones working all day and then not being able to finish it. But that's just the way it is, you can't win everything. We have to be content with what we have done,” he told HLN as he warmed down near the finish. 

Evenepoel started his sprint with more than 300 metres to go.

“It might have been a mistake to start so early. It was more like a headwind than a tailwind. Starting my sprint so quickly is the only mistake I made today,” he said.

“Martínez came over and took the best line. I had the feeling that I was getting even closer in the last metres, but he was just stronger today,”

“The conclusion is good, I saw a very strong team today. In the end there was only one rider faster, that's no shame.”

Thanks for joining us today. 

Alasdair Fotheringham is at the Alto da Foia finish for Cyclingnews and will soon have news and interviews from the finish. 

The Cyclingnews live coverage will return on Friday for stage 3. 

We're expecting a final chance for the sprinters after the 192km ride from Vila Real de Santo António to Tavira. However 150km are in the hills and so the stage might suit a breakaway or a rider able to climb with a fast finish.

Our pick? 

Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility).

Vejo você amanhã!  - That's 'See you tomorrow!' in Portuguese.