Favorites stage 2 Tour of the Algarve | Visma, Red Bull & UAE ready to flex their muscles
Cycling
On day two, the queen stage of the Volta ao Algarve is already on the schedule, featuring the well-known finish on Alto de Foia. This 8.5-kilometer climb (5% average gradient) ends with sections exceeding 8%, often resulting in a sprint among the remaining contenders. IDLProCycling.com takes a look ahead!
Route stage 2 Tour of the Algarve 2025
The Malhão stage in this edition of the five-day Portuguese race has been transformed into a time trial, so for a large part of the peloton, the focus will be on the stage finishing atop Alto de Foia. A familiar finale, which in recent years has consistently delivered fireworks.
Think of last year's thrilling battle between Daniel Felipe Martínez (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) or the win by Magnus Cort the year before. This time, however, the climb will be tackled from the other, more irregular side.
This variation in approach has produced different types of winners, which can be explained by how the final is raced and the wind conditions. If the pace is high from the base of the 8.5 km, 5.0% climb, and on the earlier climbs, it will favor the climbers and punchers, much like last year. However, if there's hesitation—and a headwind—more riders might be able to hang on.
Climbs
36.5 km: Picota (1.1 km at 7.5%)
99.0 km: Alferece (4.3 km at 5.3%)
142.5 km: Marmelete (2.3 km at 7.4%)
166.5 km: Pomba (3.8 km at 7.4%)
177.6 km: Alto de Foia (8.5 km at 5.0%)
Times
Start: 1:10 PM (local time) │ 7.10 AM (EST)
Finish: 5:36 PM (local time) │ 11.36 AM (EST)
Weather stage 2 Tour of the Algarve 2025
The wind is slightly unfavorable on Alto de Foia, but it isn’t blowing hard. This comes with a temperature of 14 degrees Celsius at the top of the final climb.
Favorites stage 2 Tour of the Algarve 2025
With the strong field in this year’s Volta ao Algarve, the most logical scenario seems to be one where the strongest climbers emerge on top. This is largely due to the participation of superstars like Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), both of whom will want to make a statement early in the season to show they are ready.
Add to that the presence of top-tier domestiques who are also capable of winning, and you can imagine a scenario where they fight for victory. Vingegaard has the support of Wout van Aert, Sepp Kuss, Ben Tulett, Wilco Kelderman, and Tiesj Benoot, while Roglič will count on riders like Oier Lazkano and Jan Tratnik, the third-place finisher in last year’s general classification.
UAE Emirates-XRG is another team that should never be underestimated—especially in the Algarve—with the combination of the fast Jan Christen and the highly motivated Portuguese duo Antonio Morgado and João Almeida. Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) is also a strong contender if a small group makes it to the finish, as are Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step) and Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost). And what about Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor)? If he can survive the climb, he could be a threat as well.
Meanwhile, pure climbers like Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), Thymen Arensman, Tobias Foss (INEOS Grenadiers), Romain Bardet, and Max Poole (Picnic PostNL) might need to come up with a tactical move rather than relying on pure strength. The same goes for Dylan Teuns, Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), and Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek), who will have to find a way to shake things up.
Favorites stage 2 Tour of the Algarve 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com
Top favorites:Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Outsiders:Jan Christen, Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)
Long shots: Wout van Aert, Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike), Antonio Morgado (UAE Emirates-XRG), Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step), Jan Tratnik (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers), Max Poole (Picnic PostNL), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) and Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step)
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Latest Comments
- Remco is still very young. And injuries can absolutely keep you from overdoing it and getting worse. The recent Remco accident didn't keep him from being able to ride a recumbent inside. Wout's knee is a different story thoughVeganpotter23-01-2025
- Van der Poel style is winning by a half a lap and leading the race from the end of the second lap.
Barnes127420-01-2025 - If she thinks talent alone will put her there she will not see many podium finishes much less a GC finish.....work as a team utilizing tactics to consistently be at the top.Germanrazor10-01-2025
- This was very informative! Luiz Antonio Duarte Ferreiraluizantonioduarteferreira02-01-2025
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024