After Welsford (Down Under), Meeus (Algarve) also makes a statement: Belgian lists 3 main goals for this spring

On Friday, Jordi Meeus of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe won the third stage of the Tour of the Algarve. The Belgian beat Alberto Dainese (Tudor) and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) on a slightly uphill finish but also kept his fellow countrymen Arnaud De Lie (Lotto), Milan Fretin (Cofidis) and Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) behind him in Tavira. In the aftermath, Meeus shared his story with IDLProCycling.com.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe kept all their riders up front in the finale. "We came here with two ambitions: the GC with Primoz Roglic and the sprints with me. We stayed at the front with Primoz until the last three kilometers, so I benefited automatically. It was very hectic. I was just a little too far back with one kilometer to go. But I was able to move up, and I think it was Casper van Uden, from Picnic PostNL, who was the first to go."

"From that moment on, it was a matter of waiting for the right moment, but I'm glad I made it. I started my sprint when I wanted to. I still felt a lot of power, so that's good. And I also knew that I could handle the finish with that slightly uphill last stretch. The team did well, too, so I'm pleased to be able to finish it off here."

Read more below the video!

Meeus happy that he could now officially win

Meeus was also the fastest in the peloton on day one but then on the wrong side of the road. That first stage - with arrival in Lagos - was ultimately declared 'not raced.' So it wasn't number thirteen, but professional victory number twelve for Meeus. "It's great to win. I don't win often; it usually takes longer to win in the season."

"That was not the case in 2025. 'In the Star of Bessèges, I was already close to second place, and two days ago, I also felt excellent. It was a bummer we couldn't make that sprint, but I'm very happy that I can finish it now," said the Belgian, whose biggest victory is the final stage of the 2023 Tour de France. Then he surprised everyone by winning on the Champs Elysées.

Read more below the video!

Meeus focuses mainly on three classics this spring

Even more important than the victory: "I rode with a very good feeling. A victory is always a bonus, but I will take the feeling with me. I am very happy with that," says Meeus, who also sends a message to his colleagues. Sam Welsford, the team's other sprinter, has also had several successes in the Tour Down Under.

Meeus still has a chance of success in Faro before returning to Belgium. "The goals remain the same. Next week, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne is a major goal, and then I will do an altitude training course in preparation for the classics. The two other races I will focus on are Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix." Welsford will be riding in the Classic Brugge-De Panne and Scheldeprijs so that the opportunities will be fairly distributed at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe.

Read also

Concerns for Groenewegen and Movistar after battlefield at UAE Tour, Bardet out in Algarve, Leitao crashes into wall

"My legs were good, but tactically it wasn't great": Vingegaard reflects on Alto de Foia

After the yet another Algarve incident, Vingegaard and Degenkolb say something needs to change: "Never seen anything like it before"

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get every week the latest news about CYCLING in your inbox!

Subscribe