Portuguese Cycling Federation president steps in: Algarve stage 1 canceled after blunder, Ganna’s win gets overturned

The organization of the Portuguese race has no reason to complain about a lack of interest from the peloton, as many big names have traveled to the southern European country to participate in the Volta ao Algarve. The first stage featured a long 192-kilometer route between Portimão and Lagos, described as a "flat" course with only one categorized climb of the third category along the way. In the coastal city of Lagos, the race was set to end with a sprint finish.

Early on in the stage, an exotic breakaway formed, consisting of six Portuguese riders, a Brazilian, and an Argentine. The names: Gonçalo Oliveira, Francisco Morais, Victor Cesar de Paula, Carlos Miguel Salgueiro, Francisco Campos, Noah Campos, Diogo Narciso, and Germán Nicolás Tivani. They gained a maximum lead of three minutes while the peloton remained profoundly calm.

On the only categorized climb of the day, Nave, Francisco Campos took the points, securing the mountain jersey for the next stage. Following that, his compatriot Salgueiro launched a solo attack. Though his attempt was ultimately futile, he succeeded in putting his team in the spotlight. Meanwhile, there was a nasty crash in the peloton, with Joan Bou (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) and a rider from Aviludo - Louletano - Loulé among the victims.

After the chasing group was reeled in, the lone Portuguese attacker was also caught with about 24 kilometers to go. The pace was then ramped up by Tudor Pro Cycling, INEOS Grenadiers, and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, while Lotto Dstny also worked for their leader of the day, Arnaud De Lie. Fortunately, the roads in Portugal were wide, minimizing problems in the lead-up to the sprint.

With three kilometers to go, the sprint trains began forming in earnest. Tudor Pro Cycling, led by Julian Alaphilippe, took control, but they were outmaneuvered. In the final kilometer, a major blunder occurred as the entire peloton was mistakenly directed the wrong way, leaving Ganna unexpectedly in the lead. He went on to claim victory in this bizarre first stage of the Portuguese race. Meanwhile, on the other side of the fence, Jordi Meeus won the sprint, but he never even made it to the actual finish line.

Ganna crossed the finish and celebrated with his INEOS Grenadiers teammates, but a long delay followed before he was called to the podium. The reason soon became clear: the president of the Portuguese Cycling Federation had decided to annul the stage. On day two, all riders will start from scratch again, proving once more that in 2025, safety in cycling has taken on an entirely new meaning…