Team Visma | Lease a Bike lined up at the start of the Volta ao Algarve, marking its first stage race on European soil this season. Jonas Vingegaard made his return to the peloton. The Portuguese five-day race opened with a sprint stage between Portimão and Lagos. Eight early attackers quickly built a lead, but with around twenty kilometers to go, the last escapees were caught by the peloton, which was preparing for a bunch sprint.  

Things went wrong in the final kilometre. Almost the entire peloton took the wrong turn at a roundabout. The large group of riders then sped through the crowded deviation lane at high speed, on the wrong side of the barriers. Also the Team Visma | Lease a Bike riders were misled. The stage eventually had no official winner.  

Wout van Aert once again called for improved safety in cycling. “This was undoubtedly a human mistake,” the 30-year-old Belgian said afterward. “The final roundabout was not closed off, creating a ridiculous situation. When I saw the barriers on the other side, I realised something was wrong. Some people even signaled that we should be careful. Situations like this simply cannot happen.”  

Sports director Arthur van Dongen also regretted the incident. “It is embarrassing that this can happen. Professional cycling has once again lost credibility. The riders’ safety must be the top priority, but the organisers fell short in that regard. Fortunately, there were no serious accidents, because this could have ended very badly. Safety in cycling remains a major issue. I hope the UCI wakes up soon.”