If in doubt, follow Filippo Ganna. That was the takeaway from stage one of the Volta ao Algarve earlier this week, which threw up one of the strangest stage finishes I’ve seen in my life.
If you’ve been living under a rock, let me bring you up to speed.
The incident came inside the final kilometre, as the sprint trains came charging into the town of Lagos. There, they followed the race vehicles through a roundabout, and onto what they thought, or maybe hoped, was the finishing straight – my phrasing there probably gives away the punchline.
In reality, they were guided down the the wrong exit, and barrelled down the car deviation. This is a road, parallel to the course, that skirts around the finish line, diverting the cars towards the team buses. The peloton hit it nearing 60km/h. There were no barriers here, and perplexed fans quickly escaped to the safety of the pavement. It’s a miracle that nobody got hurt.
As this was unfolding, a handful of riders picked the correct exit at the roundabout, among them Mr Ganna. The Italian darted to the finish line, seizing his opportunity, and crossed below the gantry first. A victory, albeit a peculiar one, for Ganna then? Not quite.
After some deliberation, the race officials decided to cancel the stage. There would be no winner, and the race would start from scratch on day two. Nothing to see here. What do you mean finish line mishap?
I feel sorry for Pippo, really, I do. And for his team, Ineos Grenadiers, too. Not only was a victory chalked off from beneath their noses, the ruling also came 24 hours after the team’s flared Kask visors were banned by the UCI.
Naturally, the scene from the closing moments of the Algarve went viral, and although we have no stage winner to show for it, at least we have some memes. That’s what really matters, right?
Elsewhere on social media this week, Tadej Pogačar reveals his pre-race warm-up, Lachlan Morton eats some watermelon, and an Olympic silver medallist watches Stockport County v Wigan.
1. Sometimes life just has another plan for you
2. You can't fool Filippo Ganna
3. As the saying now goes: if in doubt, follow Ganna
4. Pizza or fries? Such a cruel question
5. This is the only part of Lachlan Morton's ultra-cycling challenges I would be good at
6. Never has someone had more fun with exercise bands than Tadej Pogačar did at the UAE Tour
7. The key to Josh Tarling's time trialling prowess is having two-metre-long legs
8. Don't try this at home
9. It doesn't seem fair that this track sprinter has two Olympic gold medals, and this much style
10. Matthew Richardson has swapped Australian mornings on the beach for icy afternoons at Stockport County. Can you blame him?
