First 'Big Four' showdown sees Roglič and Vingegaard upstaged in Algarve 🇵🇹
Christen and Almeida go 1-2 at Foia, with reactions from Visma, Red Bull and UAE
It’s February, and a long way from the Grand Tours that will define the 2025 season.
Yet at the finish of stage 2 of the Volta ao Algarve, as Primož Roglič joked about his hairy legs, Jonas Vingegaard stared into the distance as he warmed down, and UAE celebrated an impressive 1-2 victory, it felt as though there was plenty to ponder atop the Alto da Foia.
Both Roglič and Vingegaard had just been outclassed by UAE Team Emirates understudies Jan Christen and João Almeida, who went one-two on the stage and now control every classification in the race.
It’s early days in this race, let alone the 2025 season. However, some intriguing subplots and questions have already materialised before Algarve’s critical all-important uphill TT on Sunday.
For example, Vingegaard launched an assault on his rivals during the final ascent but failed to make an impact; Jan Tratnik disclosed that there had been some minor communication issues within Red Bull; and Almeida, now in second place on the GC, may lament the extra bonus seconds he missed after Christen clinched a well-deserved victory.
Christen, who slipped clear on the final climb in a select group of riders, powered away for a final time inside the final few hundred meters, as Almeida soared clear from a posse of riders that includes Vingegaard and Roglič.