Cycling: Daniel Martinez won the mountain finish on the Alto da Fóia at the Volta ao Algarve. The Colombian won the uphill sprint from the favorite group ahead of Remco Evenepoel.
Daniel Martinez defeats Remco Evenepoel
With a stage win on the Alto da Fóia Daniel Martinez (Bora – hansgrohe) reported back after a mixed previous year. The Colombian won the mountain finish at the Volta ao Algarve ahead of the top favorite Remco Evenepoel (Soudal – Quick-Step) by defeating the Belgian in the uphill sprint. This means that Daniel Martinez also takes the lead in the overall standings. Since he is considered a good time trialist, he could now defend his title from last year. However, since the time intervals are short, a lot can still happen at the Volta ao Algarve 2024.
Van Aert has a chance of overall victory
Nine outliers, including Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility), initially shaped the 171,9 kilometer long stage from Lagoa to Alto da Fóia. However, the Norwegian, the last escapee, was caught by the peloton eight kilometers before the finish line. There Soudal Quick-Step took control and kept the pace for captain Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) extremely high. Little by little, well-known professionals fell behind. At this point we were no longer at the forefront Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) and Filippo Gana (Ineos Grenadiers) because they lost contact shortly before the start of the climb. Due to the long time trial during the tour, the Italian would have been a hot candidate for overall victory. The same applies to Wout van Aert (Visma – Lease a Bike). The Belgian had a good day and lost little time. Before the final climb he even fought for four bonus seconds.
Daniel Felipe Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe) at the Etapa 2 de la Volta ao Algarve 2024 # VAlgarve2024 # VAlgarve24 #Noticiclismo #ciclismo pic.twitter.com/Nv0S9UQF6o
— NotiCiclismo #VAlgarve2024 (@Noticiclismo1) February 15, 2024