Wout van Aert achieved his first victory of the road season today in the third stage of the Volta ao Algarve 2024. The Visma cyclist had a calm race and achieved a beautiful result at the finish. Talking to the press, he celebrated the race and passed the responsibility onto Evenepoel, pointing to second place in the general classification as the favorite.
“It was always important to win at the start of the season. It’s good for confidence, especially in a sprint. It’s not easy, and I’m happy (…) Remco Evenepoel, is already ahead and is the World Time Trial Champion. For me he’s the big favorite, but I’m also surprised by the level of some others yesterday on the climb. In any case, everything will be decided on Sunday”, declared the winner of the third stage.
This is an important triumph for the Visma – Lease a Bike rider, who is in Portugal to adjust his form for the opening weekend. A tremendous effort allowed him to overtake Rui Oliveira and Marius Mayrhofer at the finish line of the third day of racing. The 10 seconds bonus he got at the finish line will also encourage him to reach for the yellow t-shirt that currently rests on Daniel Martínez’s shoulders.
“It was a bit chaotic getting to the front because the road was quite wide until the final straight. It was a bet I had to make backwards. I found a good position in the last corner, with the climb and the wind against it it was a good idea to come from behind.”.