The German Paul Martens (Blanco Pro Cycling Team) was this Thursday a more or less unexpected winner of the 1st stage of the 39th Volta ao Algarve on bicycle, which ended in Albufeira.
Martens beat all the competition in the sprint on arrival in Albufeira, even escaping a fall 1700 meters from the finish line and responding to a stretch by Tiago Machado and became the first yellow jersey in the Algarve.
“This was a team success. We knew the end of previous years and we knew that a sprinter could win as well as a half sprinter. I was the “joker” and when Tiago jumped I followed him», explained Martens.
The fall just before the finish line, at a roundabout, ended up ruining the plans of the Omega Pharma-Quickstep team, who were preparing the “sprint” for Cavendish's victory. The Englishman ended up finishing in 6th place.
In 2nd was Tiago Machado (Radioshack Leopard). Another Portuguese standout was Sérgio Paulinho (Saxo-Tinkoff), who took advantage of the absence of his team leader, the Spaniard Alberto Contador, and joined the flight, in the company of Eduard Vorganov (Katusha), Amets Txurruka (Caja Rural), Marco Corti (Colombia) and Christopher Jones (UnitedHealthcare).
At the end of the stage, Paulinho declared: «I'm looking at the Volta ao Algarve as a training session, because from next month I have to work for Alberto. The fact that Alberto is not here makes it easier for those who are usually gregarious».
The best in the Algarve was Samuel Caldeira, now running for OFM Quinta da Lixa, who was 10th.
Of the Algarve teams, the best classified was the Argentine Jorge Montenegro (Louletano Dunas Douradas), who won the Opening Competition a few days ago and in this 1st stage of the Volta ao Algarve was 19th. Next, was Daniel Mestre (Carmim Tavira), in 29th.
Tomorrow, Friday, the 2nd stage will be run, starting and ending in Lagoa, leading the peloton to cover 195 kilometers, with two mountain counts – one third and the other second category, this one in Fóia – whose placement, in the first half of the race, should allow the sprinters pull their gallons at the end of the journey.
Veja here the final classification of the 1st stage.
Note: The photos, with the exception of the winner, are by Nuno Loureiro.
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