Paul Magnier gives Soudal Quick-Step first win of the season at Volta ao Algarve
Soudal Quick-Step is off the mark. Paul Magnier delivered the Belgian team their first victory of 2026 by winning the opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve. The Frenchman outsprinted Jordi Meeus, Pavel Bittner, and Jasper Philipsen in a mass sprint.
On the first day of the Volta ao Algarve, the peloton raced from Vila Real de Santo António to Tavira. Midway through the 184-kilometer stage, the Marcador climb (6.2 km at 4.5%) presented the toughest ascent of the day, followed by the Faz Fato climb (7.9 km at 2.6%) fifty kilometers from the finish. In the flat finale, bonus seconds could still be collected during the golden kilometer, 25 kilometers from the finish line.
Early in the race, a breakaway group of nine riders formed. Most of the escapees were Portuguese, but Dutch rider Enzo Leijnse was also up front. The 24-year-old, who raced for Picnic PostNL last year, now rides for the Portuguese Continental team Anicolor/Campicarn this season. He and his eight companions never gained more than a two-minute advantage.
Ayuso takes bonus seconds
In the peloton, the sprinters' teams kept a tight hold on the race. Particularly, Soudal Quick-Step and Alpecin-Premier Tech put in a lot of work. Ultimately, the breakaway riders were caught precisely during the golden kilometer.
We should pause for a moment on that golden kilometer. Early escapee Hugo Nunes was first past both the initial bonus sprints, but the third sprint was won by Jan Tratnik from the peloton. Even more importantly, Juan Ayuso crossed first once and third once, collecting a total of three bonus seconds for the Spaniard from Lidl-Trek.
Sprint for the win
After the golden kilometer, we geared up for the final sprint. On the way to the sprint, Antonio Morgado suffered a flat tire, but otherwise, things remained calm. The calm before the storm, because in the last three kilometers the pace soared. Entering the final kilometer, Soudal Quick-Step took the lead to set up Magnier.
The Belgian team exited the last corner first, then the road gently climbed in the final straight. Alpecin-Premier Tech then took over, with Groves launching the sprint while Philipsen was not on his wheel. Meanwhile, Magnier was already coming from further back. The Frenchman from Soudal Quick-Step surged forward at high speed, claimed the front position, and never gave it up. Jordi Meeus finished second, Pavel Bittner third. Philipsen ended up in fourth place.
🚴🇵🇹 | Paul Magnier wint de openingsrit van de Volta ao Algarve! Hij schenkt zijn ploeg de eerste zege van het jaar. 💨 #cycling
Wielrennen 👀 HBO Max pic.twitter.com/DTaOZZMTn0
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) February 18, 2026
