Earlier, German U23 champion Michel Hessmann, Johannes Staune-Mittet and Robert Gesink had already ridden a worthy time trial. The trio finished in the top thirty in the time trial that took the riders from Vila Real de Santo António to Tavira in ideal race conditions.

Foss had an unfortunate crash earlier this week in the second stage’s final. The Norwegian time trial champion showed that he would not give up in one of his favourite disciplines. “I would have preferred to be here at the start without having crashed, but that’s what happened to me. I put my mind at rest and tried to make the best of this time trial. In addition, I was able to race without pain.”

The 24-year-old multifunctional rider will focus on several smaller tours at the beginning of this season, eventually heading for the Giro d’Italia. Foss has been very diligent recently and has put a lot of energy into his development. “Today’s performance is a confirmation for me that the training of the past winter is paying off”, Foss said. “This time trial was a nice test for the rest of the year. In the past I have sometimes been inconsistent in this discipline. That is something I am still working on. Today I showed again that I have a good time trial at my disposal. I look back on this with a good feeling.”

The Volta ao Algarve ends tomorrow with a tricky 173km stage.