Volta ao Algarve 2024: Wout van Aert of Visma-Lease a Bike wins stage 3 in bunch sprint(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Stage winner Wout van Aert of Visma-Lease a Bike (left) glides past finish line ahead of Gerben Thijssen of Intermarché-Wanty, in Green Points Jersey, who finished fourth(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Celebrating at the finish as stage 3 winner is Wout van Aert of Visma-Lease a Bike(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Julien Vermote congratulates Visma-Lease a Bike teammate and stage winner Wout van Aert in Tavira (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
The final holdout from the breakaway, Carlos Salgueiro of Team APHotels-Resorts-Tavira-SC Farense, was swept up with 14km to go(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Race leader Daniel Martinez rides in the Yellow jersey among his Bora-Hansgrohe teammates(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
The breakaway (L to R) of Frederico Figueiredo of Sabgal-Anicolor, Carlos Miguel Salgueiro of APHotels & Resorts-Tavira-SC Farense, Raul Rota of Team Rádio Popular-Paredes-Boavista and Francisco Morais of Team Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mortágua compete on 1992.2km stage 3(Image credit: Getty Images)
Remco Evenepoel of Soudal-QuickStep (on left) rides alongside Wout van Aert of Visma-Lease a Bike during stage 3(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Vito Braet of Intermarché-Wanty (on left) and Michael Valgren of EF Education-EasyPost lead the peloton climbing to the Alcaria(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
A stretched-out peloton climbing to the Alcaria(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Stage 2 winner Daniel Martinez of Bora-Hansgrohe rides Friday in the Yellow leader jersey(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Wout van Aert of Visma-Lease a Bike (centre) competes during 192.2km stage 3(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), who finished second on stage 2, competes in the peloton(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
The peloton competes from Vila Real de Santo Antonio to Tavira(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mike Teunissen of Intermarché-Wanty (far left) and Michael Valgren of EF Education-EasyPost lead the peloton during stage 3(Image credit: Getty Images)
Portugal's Carlos Salgueiro of APHotels-Resorts-Tavira-SC Farense celebrates at podium as most combative rider (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Daniel Martinez of Bora-Hansgrohe retains the Yellow leader jersey(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Antonio Morgado of UAE Team Emirates at podium as White Best Young Rider Jersey winner(Image credit: Getty Images)
Gerben Thijssen of Intermarché-Wanty receives the Green Points Jersey(Image credit: Getty Images)
Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a bike) took the stage 3 victory at the Volta ao Algarve, winning the bunch sprint to the finish line in Tavira.
Van Aert started his sprint from third position back and passed a fading Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Wanty) to take the day's win ahead of Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates) and Marius Mayrhofer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), while Thijssen finished fourth.
A crash in the final caused splits among the peloton and several general classification riders were caught behind those splits, but all were given the same time as the stage winner.
There were no changes to the top three in the overall classification and Daniel Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe) continues to lead the race into stage 4 on Saturday. While Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) is second overall at four seconds back and Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) holds third overall, at 12 seconds back.
"It's always important to take a win at the beginning of the season. It's good for the confidence and especially in a sprint. It was not easy and I'm happy," Van Aert said.
"It was a bit chaotic getting to the front because it was a wide leading into the finishing straight. I had to gamble a little bit and come from the back. I found a good position in the last corner and, with the uphill and headwind it was good to come from the back."
How it unfolded
Stage 3 at the Volta ao Algarve took the peloton on a 192.2km race from Vila Real de Santo António to Tavira. Although the route held two category 3 ascents, Alcaria (2.3km at 6.9%) and Faz Fato (4.7km at 3.3%), the descent and fast run-in to the finish meant the day was suited to the sprinters.
Daniel Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe) started the day in the leader's jersey after winning the previous stage atop Alto da Fóia.
An early attack by seven riders led to the day's main breakaway that included Afonso Eulálio (ABTF Betão-Feirense), Carlos Miguel Salgueiro (APHotels & Resorts-Tavira-SC Farense), German Nicolás Tivani (Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé Concelho), António Ferreira (Efapel Cycling), Raúl Rota (Rádio Popular-Paredes-Boavista), Frederico Figueiredo (Sabgal-Anicolor) and Francisco Morais (Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mortágua).
Tivani took the mountain points over the top of the first climb Alcaria, but the four points were not enough to rival the point lead held by Bora's Martínez.
The breakaway held a two-minute gap with 70km to go as EF Education-EasyPost led the peloton to keep the gap at a manageable distance. Unfortunately, their rider, Rui Costa, was involved in a crash mid-pack and forced to abandon the race.
From the breakaway, Tivani took the full mountain points over the top of the second climb, Faz Fato, moving up to third overall in the mountain classification behind Martínez and Evenepoel.
The breakaway split inside 40km to go with Tivani, Salgueiro and Figueiredo pulling away from their break companions along the undulating roads toward Tavira.
As the trio raced closer to the finish, Salgueiro surged and opened a slim 10-second lead, but his efforts were short-lived, with the peloton bearing down in preparation for their respective lead-outs, and the catch was made 12km out.
Bora-Hansgrohe, Astana Qazaqstan, Soudal-QuickStep, Lidl-Trek, and Visma-Lease a Bike were the teams that pushed speeds in the final 7km. The peloton split through a roundabout inside 3km, and Uno-X Mobility surged to the front, followed by Lidl-Trek under the 1km to go banner.
A crash on the right side of the road at the roundabout took down several riders, which caused splits among the field and several classification contenders stuck behind, but inside the 3km rule, all were given the same time as the stage winner.
Intermarché-Wanty led through the final corner, but a gap opened that forced their sprinter and stage 1 winner Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Wanty) to have to close, and although he surged up the centre of the road in pursuit of the stage win, he soon began to fade.
Marius Mayrhofer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) was positioned behind Thijssen and surged off his wheel, as did Van Aert, followed by Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates) in the sprint to the line.
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
