Volta ao Algarve

Stage 2: Sagres to Lagos 207.5km/129mi

By Cathy Mehl

The longest stage of the 36^th Volta ao Algarve turned into much more than just miles on the road.  Wind and rain pelted the peloton of 181 as they spent more than six hours in the saddle, battling the elements through the mountains of southern Portugal to finally arrive at the beautiful coast.  After Wednesday’s surprise attack by non-sprinter Benoit Vaugrenard (Francaise des Jeux), the teams of the fast men were determined to right the ship and claim victory in Lagos.  Andre Greipel (HTC-Columbia) put his train on the front to sweep up a lone survivor from a day-long break and capture the win, followed by Jurgen Roelandts (Omega Pharma-Lotto) and Olympic champion Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi).  Greipel remains in top form after his overall victory in January’s Santos Tour Down Under and now wears the yellow leader’s jersey in Algarve with a 5-second lead to Vaugrenard.

Team RadioShack’s Tomas Vaitkus suffered a crash on yesterday’s stage 1 which sent him to the hospital for evaluation of his shoulder.  Vaitkus was able to start today but soreness in the shoulder made it difficult for the Lithuanian rider to hold the bars at high speeds and he had to abandon in the feed zone.  “I had too much pain in my shoulder,” he said.  “I tried, but it was useless.  It rained the whole day, hard, and never really stopping.  It was too dangerous for me.  I could not properly hold my handlebars.”  However, Tomas reports that his legs feel good and he feels certain he’ll be able to continue his racing program in the upcoming weeks.

Sports Director Dirk Demol added, “Let’s hope he will recover soon.  Nothing is broken but you never know.  We’ll know more in a few days.  We need Tomas for the classics.”  Tomas won this stage two years ago and is a valuable teammate on the cobbles.

Reports of a peloton request to shorten the stage fell on deaf ears apparently as the stage was contested in its entirety.  A five-man break built a gap of more than 12-minutes before the miles took a toll and two riders lost contact.  Jeremy Hunt (Cervelo), David Vitoria (Footon-Servetto) and Julien Fouchard (Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne) held their position to keep the gap at over 10-minutes but eventually everyone except Vitoria was swept up on the rapid descent to Lagos.  The Swiss rider held more than a minute in the closing kilometers but HTC-Columbia shut down his effort to launch Greipel for another sprinter victory.

Friday’s stage 3 is 173.3km/108mi with an uphill finish to Malhão, which could lead to a shake-up in the general classification.  Climbers wanting to test their legs in the early season will have the perfect opportunity to see how their form is coming along, but bad weather can play a part in the day’s action too, so as is typical in professional cycling….expect the unexpected!

Beyond the Finish Line:  While on vacation in the Lagos area be sure to take one of the fantastic boat trips offered by many of the charter companies nearby.  There is a lot to see and do on this beautiful coastline:  fishing trips, dolphin cruises, diving, beach bar-b-ques and grotto trips.  The crews are fun and will do everything they can to make your excursion perfect. Have fun!

Top Ten Results

1 André Greipel (Ger) Team HTC - Columbia 6:06:39  

2 Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Omega Pharma - Lotto    

3 Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:00:04  

4 Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne 0:00:06  

5 Björn Leukemans (Bel) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team    

6 Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne    

7 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha    

8 Johan Coenen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator    

9 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Française Des Jeux    

10 Francesco Reda (Ita) Quick Step

Team RadioShack on Stage 2

11 Tiago Machado (Por)

15 Grégory Rast (Swi)    

16 Levi Leipheimer (USA)     

17 Andreas Klöden (Ger)

53 Sergio Paulinho (Por) 0:00:27

108 Sebastien Rosseler (Bel) 0:12:28

123 Gert Steegmans (Bel) 0:12:42

DNF Tomas Vaitkus (Lit)

General Classification after Stage 2

1 André Greipel (Ger) Team HTC - Columbia 10:17:12  

2 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Française Des Jeux 0:00:05  

3 Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Omega Pharma - Lotto 0:00:08  

4 Joan Horrach (Spa) Team Katusha 0:00:12  

5 Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:00:14  

6 Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne 0:00:20  

7 Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne    

8 Matthiev Ladagnous (Fra) Française Des Jeux    

9 Björn Leukemans (Bel) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team    

10 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin –Transitions

Team RadioShack on General Classification

15 Levi Leipheimer (USA)

17 Tiago Machado (Por)

22 Andreas Klöden (Ger)

35 Grégory Rast (Swi)

50 Sergio Paulinho (Por) 0:00:41

105 Sebastien Rosseler (Bel) 0:12:42

112 Gert Steegmans (Bel) 0:12:56