The final stage of the Volta ao Algarve was a race against the clock. The course, roughly twenty kilometers long, started on flat terrain but ended with a challenging climb of over two kilometers at an average gradient of nearly ten percent.

Van Aert was one of the early starters and immediately set a benchmark time for the rest of the field. The Belgian rode a strong opening section, switched bikes at the foot of the climb, and was several seconds faster than the best time at that moment.

Van Aert held the top spot for a long time, as rider after rider failed to match his time. Then came Vingegaard, who started his time trial convincingly. The 28-year-old Dane only lost a few seconds to the pure time trial specialists on the flat section. On the climb, he proved his excellent form by crushing the competition, securing both the stage victory and the overall title in his first race of the year. With this, Vingegaard—who embraced his teammate Van Aert after the finish—doubled his team’s season win tally from two to four in a single stroke.

“It was a great day for me and the whole team”, Vingegaard said after the finish. “I’m really happy with these victories. It’s my first time racing here, and to win straight away is an honor. This morning, my daughter told me it was a beautiful day to win. That gave me extra motivation, so these victories are a little bit for her.”

Vingegaard enjoyed the challenge of the time trial. “It was a great course—one that tells a fair story. Success depends heavily on having good legs, and I think I can say I had them today. This was also a bit of redemption for stage two, where I felt strong but didn’t get the result. It’s definitely a confidence boost for the rest of the season, which I’m really looking forward to. I’m also very happy for Wout. He showed that he’s in good shape. I would have loved to see him win the stage”, the overall winner concluded.

“The suffering was dominant today, but that often results in a good time trial for me”, Van Aert said in his first response. “I never really felt comfortable at any point. It was difficult to maintain a controlled pace. Still, I rode a strong time trial, and I’m very happy with my own result and with Jonas’s victory. I also feel like I’ve taken an important step this week towards the Spring Classics.”