Favorites for stage 3 of the Tour of Algarve 2024 | Will Thijssen claim another victory or demaré... or other riders?

We start in Vila Real Santo Antonio, in the far west of Portugal. The Guadiana River separates this area from Spanish Andalusia, while it's also a stone's throw from the Mediterranean Sea. An ideal vacation spot, but that's not why the participating riders are here. Almost five hours later, a sprint is expected in Tavira. That's only twenty kilometers away, but the organization has outlined a substantial route.

It includes two climbs, Alcaria (2.3 km at 6%) and Faz Fato (4.7 km at 3.3%), but these are quite a distance from the finish and will therefore have little impact on the course of the stage. After about 168 kilometers, we are back at the starting place, from where we this time take the shortest route towards Tavira, where we usually finish with the Tour of Algarve.

The last two kilometers there can be described as quite technical, with a roundabout at approximately 2.3 kilometers, followed by a gentle right turn. Just before entering the final kilometer, riders need to keep left at another roundabout, after which another roundabout comes up quite quickly. Then, in the last five hundred meters, there's a sharp left turn, so you can understand that positioning here will be key.

Magnus Cort surprised the peloton last year by accelerating directly after that last turn from a group of breakaways, thus managing to stay ahead of the main group on the slightly uphill finish. Previously, sprinters like Sam Bennett, Dylan Groenewegen, and Cees Bol have won in Tavira.

Climbs
103.4 km: Alcaria (2.3 km at 6%)
148.0 km: Faz Fato (4.7 km at 3.3%)

Times
Start: 12:00 PM (1:00 PM CET)
Finish: 4:45 PM (5:45 PM CET)

The weather in Portugal on Friday is quite pleasant. The temperature just misses the 20 degrees Celsius mark, the sun will make occasional appearances, and the wind is not as strong as the previous two days.

Viewers of the Tour of Algarve's first stage would have noted Intermarché-Wanty's dominance. This Belgian team led the pack all day, setting up Gerben Thijssen perfectly for the win in Lagos. With Mike Teunissen, Hugo Page, Laurenz Rex, Adrien Petit, and Vito Braet, Thijssen is well-supported by an ideal lead-out team.

Arkéa - B&B Hotels also had a strong setup with Donovan Grondin and Jenthe Biermans leading the charge, but their efforts ultimately backfired, disrupting the planned lead-out for Dan McLay. This resulted in Florian Sénéchal being exposed to the wind too soon, and although sprinter Arnaud Démare was caught by surprise, he still delivered a powerful sprint to finish fifth.

Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost), Jordi Meeus (BORA-hansgrohe), and Lars Boven (Alpecin-Deceuninck) have successfully made their way into the mix. They're definitely fast, but it's uncertain if they have what it takes to clinch the victory. Their ability to navigate their position behind the sprint trains, such as those led by dsm-firmenich Post NL for Casper van Uden or Lidl-Trek for Edward Theuns, will be crucial, especially since they're working with fewer lead-out resources.

Could we witness a repeat of last year's Magnus Cort scenario? If that's the case, we're likely to see powerhouses like Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Matteo Trentin (Tudor), Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers), Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek), and Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) leading the way, although Van Aert has already mentioned that this stage isn't really to his liking. It might mean that we'll have to focus on sprinters who aren't as well-known, such as Lewis Askey, Marc Sarreau (Groupama-FDJ), Kim Heiduk (INEOS Grenadiers), and Rui Oliveira (UAE-Team Emirates).

Top favorites: Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Wanty) and Arnaud Démare (Arkéa - B&B Hotels)
Outsiders: Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost), Jordi Meeus (BORA-hansgrohe), Casper van Uden (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Edward Theuns (Lidl-Trek)
Long shots: Lars Boven (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Filippo Ganna, Kim Heiduk (INEOS Grenadiers), Matteo Trentin (Tudor), Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek), Magnus Cort (Uno-X), Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ)