Geraint Thomas (Sky) took a fine solo win at the end of stage two of the 2015 Volta ao Algarve on Thursday.
Thomas attacked on the final climb of the hilly 197-kilometre stage from Lagoa to Monchiqu, finishing ahead of a trio of Astana riders headed up by Rein Taaramae, and Valerio Agnoli in third.
Thomas's win goes one better than fellow Brit and Sky team-mate Ben Swift, who came in as runner-up behind stage one winner Gianni Meersman (Etixx-QuickStep) on Wednesday.
Thomas is using the race to fine-tune his form ahead of the 2015 Spring Classics season, where he will again be an important part of Sky's Classics squad. Last year, Thomas placed seventh in Paris-Roubaix, eighth in the Tour of Flanders and second in the E3 Harelbeke.
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The Volta ao Algarve continues on Friday with a key 19-kilometre time trial, which could suit Thomas's talents. He won last year's Bayern Rundfahrt overall after winning that race's 25km individual time trial stage.
Results
Volta ao Algarve 2015, stage two: Lagoa to Monchique, 197km
1. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky
2. Rein Taaramae (Est) Astana at 19 secs
3. Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Astana at 23 secs
4. Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Astana
5. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Etixx-QuickStep
6. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx-QuickStep
7. Alberto Losada (Spa) Katusha
8. Sergei Chernetckii (Rus) Katusha
9. Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) Sky
10. Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Sky at same time
Overall classification after stage two
1. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky
2. Rein Taaramae (Est) Astana at 30 secs
3. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx-QuickStep at 33 secs
4. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Etixx-QuickStep at 33 secs
5. Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Astana at 33 secs
Thomas leads Team Sky on stage two of the Volta ao Algarve
(Image credit: Watson)
World Champion Michal Kwiatkowski sits fourth overall after stage two
(Image credit: Watson)
Thomas is congratulated by teammate Salvatore Puccio
(Image credit: Watson)
Thomas on the podium. He leads the race going into Friday's time trial
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Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
