On the penultimate day of the five-day Portuguese race, the riders faced a hilly stage with around 2,800 meters of elevation gain. After the start in Albufeira, eight riders managed to build a significant lead over the peloton. In that peloton, Team Visma | Lease a Bike took responsibility for the chase. Among others, Loe van Belle put in an impressive effort to reel in the breakaway.  

The final part of the stage was marked by three short categorised climbs. Team Visma | Lease a Bike pushed the pace and put the competition under pressure. A reduced peloton approached the final kilometre. Van Aert launched his sprint from distance but had to momentarily pause his effort. He ultimately crossed the line in seventh place. Milan Fretin took the stage win.  

“We rode a strong race, but unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it off”, Van Aert said afterward. “The eight leaders quickly built a big gap. It took a lot of effort to close that down, but as a team, we did a great job. We made the final hard, but I missed the final kick in the sprint. The stage wasn’t as tough as I had hoped before, but it was a good test leading into next week’s Flemish opening weekend.”  

Jonas Vingegaard had a late scare with a puncture in the final kilometres. However, due to the three-kilometer rule, the Dane did not lose any time. He heads into tomorrow’s individual time trial in sixth place in the general classification.