Rally Cycling's plan for stage two of the Volta ao Algarve was simple. First, place Adam de Vos in the early break in an attempt to defend his lead in the Mountain Classification. Once accomplished, position Rob Britton and Sepp Kuss for an assault on the final climb to Alto Da Fóia. De Vos succeeded in making the breakaway and put in a massive effort to defend his jersey. With 10 points going to the stage winner, the only way he could keep his blue jersey was to collect points on the first two climbs of the day. De Vos took the points on the first climb, a category three, but the Quick Step team was keen on keeping the breakaway on a short leash, and he would not have a chance at any more points.
Once the stage hit the technical and hilly second half, the pace increased, and the team did their best to drop off Britton and Kuss near the front of the action. As the screws turned on the final climb, Britton and Kuss lost contact with the leaders and rode their own tempo to the finish to fight another day. A general classification result may be out of reach, but de Vos still has a chance to get the blue jersey back. He is currently in second place in the classification, just two points behind the stage winner and overall leader Dan Martin (Quick Step). Tomorrow's stage will see the team test their time trial legs for the first time aboard the Diamondback Serios TT machines. Photos: Mario Stiehl
7 years ago by Sam Wiebe
