52nd Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta (18-22 February)

[Squire]

I couldn't understand much that they were saying and I was concentrating on Ivan Sosa's descending but the Colombians were raving about Rodriguez last week in the road race.

Yeah, Rodriguez was amazing in the NC road race. Great to see him do well today too. We need up and coming Colombian talents. They are rather few and far between these days.

 

[pastronef]

Mate I Have complete lost my head , what happened to actually good champjongnos in this sport. Now is just my teenage boys born into wealth extreme talent and success who spend a billion months in altitude and ride for the same teamswinning all the races.. It's barely interesting at this point. Maybe I don't even like cycling I just like Nibali and landa. There's no stories in this sport anymore or actually good champions. I have completely gone here I might stop watching for good. Thank god we have the big classics to lookforward to, oh wait nevermind he who will not be named is Gona be there and win them all. Is like watching formula one. You can't even tell what team they reside for because all the kits are the same.

wait a minute, Seixas still hasn't smashed the World Tour and the GTs. it's the way it works in 2026. month at altitude. it takes that. "good champions"? FFS Nibali rode for Liquigas and Astana. not actually "good" teams. and Decath is not winning all the races. they are a team in progress, doing a great choice if hiring riders (Riccitello, Seixas) and also being unlucky in hiring riders (Kooj and Benoot injured)

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Landa has ridden for almost all the dominant teams of the time: Sky, Movistar when they were winning a lot, best Barhain. Nibali's Astana wasn't exactly modest either.

Nibali and Landa had to build form over a series of races.
That's not what happens these days.

 

[pastronef]

Nibali and Landa had to build form over a series of races.
That's not what happens these days.

it's TEN years ago. things change in ten years

 

[Netserk]

it's TEN years ago. things change in ten years

sky quit the sport seven years ago. you will no longer bring up the sky days in three years?

 

[armchairclimber]

Fitting that Seixas announces his arrival proper at the Algarve, where Pog did the same.

 

[pastronef]

sky quit the sport seven years ago. you will no longer bring up the sky days in three years?

I'll bring up Sky, Astana, Jumbo, Sunweb etc. I just said the way athletes evolve and progress can change a lot in ten years

 

[Netserk]

I'll bring up Sky, Astana, Jumbo, Sunweb etc. I just said the way athletes evolve and progress can change a lot in ten years

it can, but can you really blame anyone for being stuck in the dynamics of a past age ?

 

[pastronef]

it can, but can you really blame anyone for being stuck in the dynamics of a past age ?

no, no blame, just noticing there are different dynamics, that sometimes change faster than we expect or wish or want

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Fitting that Seixas announces his arrival proper at the Algarve, where Pog did the same.

It's a race where future legends come to win. Cândido Barbosa who won two stages at age 20 in 1995, for example.

 

[saunaking]

Widar tried to bridge and now losing weheels...too enthousiastic

been watching too much Remco

 

[saunaking]

I mean why does the Volta a Algarve have a GT level field.

Everyone avoiding Remco

 

[James M]

McNulty crashed had to stop and go, still ended up only 37 seconds behind. Thats class.

Ayuso excels on these inconsistent, explosive climbs and coming from altitude so as you expect, but still good.

Almeida is right up there. Its not his cup of tea cant ask for much more.

Seixas: Ayuso is not easy to handle on this type of climb and finish, so pure class from the baguette. Love to see it.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

WOW! Just watched the finish, outstanding finish!

 

[hayneplane]

Well, Lipo lost 30 secs.
I rate this as a bigger stinker than Remco's from yesterday.

Not at all. I expected him to be in the mix but even in the Tour last year he was getting gapped on the shorter punchier finals and that was on his career best firm.

 

[armchairclimber]

Wow

https://twitter.com/x/status/2024584478895612384

View: https://x.com/decathloncmacgm/status/2024584478895612384

 

[11-34]

Paul Seixas must be the Antiremco.

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

sky quit the sport seven years ago. you will no longer bring up the sky days in three years?

I, for one, am still traumatized enough by the Sky days to appreciate current racing. It should be brought up always to remind folk of how truly awful racing can be. And yes, I think all past bad racing should be blamed on Sky even though they weren't even in existence in 1903.

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

Paul Seixas must be the Antiremco.

So they should never touch or we'll see an actual nuke go off in the Tour?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

GC after stage 2:

1	5	▲4	Ayuso Juan	Lidl - Trek	5	10″	8:10:44
2	110	▲108	Seixas Paul	Decathlon CMA CGM Team		10″	,,
3	44	▲41	Almeida João	UAE Team Emirates - XRG		4″	0:07
4	40	▲36	Onley Oscar	INEOS Grenadiers			0:14
5	70	▲65	Riccitello Matthew	Decathlon CMA CGM Team			0:16
6	95	▲89	Martínez Daniel Felipe	Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe			0:32
7	31	▲24	Vauquelin Kévin	INEOS Grenadiers			0:39
8	96	▲88	Pinarello Alessandro	NSN Cycling Team			,,
9	125	▲116	Voisard Yannis	Tudor Pro Cycling Team			,,
10	61	▲51	Gloag Thomas	Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team			0:41

Not much difference between the top riders.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Stage 3, a short ITT:

Maybe this will help create a few more gaps. Ganna FTW most likely, but what about the GC boys?

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Not at all. I expected him to be in the mix but even in the Tour last year he was getting gapped on the shorter punchier finals and that was on his career best firm.

A 20-minute MTF is not a short, punchy final. The Combloux MTF where Pogacar deleted everyone at Dauphiné last year was also 20 minutes and Lipowitz finished third there. This was simply a bad showing.

 

[Cycling111]

It was definitely a poor performance from Lipowitz.
It wasn't the best climb for Almeida either, but he was at the front.

I have a feeling that McNulty could have achieved a great result yesterday.

By the way, Riccitello's performance yesterday was impressive. First he was pulling, then it seems he caused McNulty's crash, lost time at that point, got back to the front, pulled hard again, and finally finished fifth.
Both Decathlon riders were very strong.

 

[elguapo]

Hector Alvarez should think twice which WT team he should be signing up soon. It looks like he would just become a "launch pad" of either Ayuso, or Skjelmose at Ldl-Trek. His power in leading the GC group for majority of the climb is really worthy of consideration. He was only relieved by Verona in front for a kilometer and then went back to work in front to launch Ayuso for his final attack.

 

[Cycling111]

Hector Alvarez should think twice which WT team he should be signing up soon. It looks like he would just become a "launch pad" of either Ayuso, or Skjelmose at Ldl-Trek. His power in leading the GC group for majority of the climb is really worthy of consideration. He was only relieved by Verona in front for a kilometer and then went back to work in front to launch Ayuso for his final attack.

And in other one-day races launch for Pedersen.

One of the riders who should change team in 2027 along with Morgado.