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2026-02-19T17:37:13.964Z<\/p>\n
Thanks for joining us today, on another breakthrough day in the rise of teenage sensation Paul Seixas.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll be back again tomorrow for stage three, a 19.5km time trial stage in which Seixas, Ayuso and Almeida will again do battle for the overall lead. It\u2019s shaping up to be an enthralling contest!<\/p>\n
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2026-02-19T17:32:12.269Z<\/p>\n
One rider who might have expected to be up there competing with Seixas, Ayuso and Almeida was Florian Lipowitz, but he failed to follow the early accelerations and finished down in 11th, losing 29 seconds. The German is clearly not yet in the form that saw him make the podium at the Tour de France last year.<\/p>\n
2026-02-19T17:29:37.350Z<\/p>\n
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2026-02-19T17:26:30.320Z<\/p>\n
For all his eye-catching rides last year, this is actually Paul Seixas’s first victory as a professional, in addition to his successes at youth level in the Tour de L’Avenir last year. And though it isn\u2019t at World Tour level, this is a world class field he has defeated to take that victory.<\/p>\n
2026-02-19T17:23:32.461Z<\/p>\n
The leading quintet together, earlier on the climb.<\/p>\n
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2026-02-19T17:20:14.495Z<\/p>\n
Ayuso ends the day as the race leader, however, albeit with exactly the same time as Seixas. With the GC so close, the intermediate sprints and time bonus could play a key role in determining the fate of the race, though there\u2019s still plenty of time to be gained and lost on tomorrow\u2019s time trial, and the final stage uphill wall finish.<\/p>\n
2026-02-19T17:18:34.686Z<\/p>\n
That was some rider by Paul Seixas, who is well and truly living up to the hype. It\u2019s remarkable to think he is still just nineteen years old, yet still able to compete with, and get the better of, seasoned pros Almeida and Ayuso.<\/p>\n
2026-02-19T17:17:06.428Z<\/p>\n
Almeida did make his way back up to the those two riders, but lacked their punch in the final sprint, where he placed third.<\/p>\n
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2026-02-19T17:15:16.488Z<\/p>\n
The moment earlier on the climb, when Ayuso and Seixas dropped Almeida.<\/p>\n
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2026-02-19T17:11:45.186Z<\/p>\n
Paul Seixas takes the stage, but Juan Ayuso is the new overall leader, thanks to the additional bonus seconds he has picked up these past two days.<\/p>\n
2026-02-19T17:09:38.774Z<\/p>\n
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2026-02-19T17:08:35.545Z<\/p>\n
There was some gap between 5th and Dani Martinez in 6th, 22 seconds down, followed by another group at 29 seconds featuring Alessandro Pinarello, Yannis Voisard, Kevin Vauquelin, Thomas Gloag and Florian Lipowitz.<\/p>\n
2026-02-19T17:06:42.018Z<\/p>\n
Almeida has been given the same time at the finish as Seixas and Ayuso, while Onley was four seconds adrift in fourth and Riccitello 6 seconds down in fifth.<\/p>\n
2026-02-19T17:04:23.659Z<\/p>\n
Almeida could not respond to Seixas’s acceleration at the finish, and though Ayuso stuck on his wheel, he couldn’t quite edge him out in the lunge to the line.<\/p>\n
2026-02-19T17:02:37.849Z<\/p>\n
Almeida takes third, Onley fourth and Riccitello fifth.<\/p>\n
2026-02-19T17:02:05.908Z<\/p>\n
And Seixas takes it, just edging out Ayuso at the line!<\/p>\n
PAUL SEIXAS WINS<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T17:01:30.952Z<\/p>\n Seixas accelerates, attacking for the win…<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T17:01:03.756Z<\/p>\n Another acceleration, and Ricittello and Onley are dropped.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T17:00:38.879Z<\/p>\n Ricittello was briefly dropped, but is back with them now.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T17:00:09.657Z<\/p>\n He didn’t succeed in dropping them, but has attacked again.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:59:46.343Z<\/p>\n Now Almeida accelerates as they go into the final kilometre.<\/p>\n 1KM TO GO<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:59:15.078Z<\/p>\n Riccitello attacks, but is chased down. The five remain together as they near the final kilometre and its very steep gradients.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:58:43.188Z<\/p>\n And now Onley and Riccitello have bridged up to them. Thats great news for Seixas, as Riccitello is his Decathlon teammate.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:58:04.512Z<\/p>\n Onley and Riccitello are chasing the leading trio.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:57:37.277Z<\/p>\n Now Ayuso comes through to take a turn.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:57:16.451Z<\/p>\n Those three riders lead, with Seixas still doing all of the work.<\/p>\n 2KM TO GO<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:56:13.391Z<\/p>\n Almeida is indeed back – he is doing his usual careful pace-setting.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:54:48.702Z<\/p>\n For now Almeida is loosing ground, as Seixas presses on with Ayuso on his wheel, not taking a turn.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:54:12.750Z<\/p>\n We have seen this countless times before from Almeida – is he just going at his own pace, or struggling?<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:53:48.367Z<\/p>\n Almeida is being distanced by Seixas’s pace.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:53:13.211Z<\/p>\n Seixas as taken over at the front from Ayuso.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:52:45.735Z<\/p>\n Ayuso has gone clear! He has only 2 riders with him – Almeida and Seixas<\/p>\n ATTACK<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:51:34.575Z<\/p>\n Just 4km left to the climb until the finish.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:50:29.486Z<\/p>\n Behind the 2 Lidl riders are 3 UAEs and 3 Ineos riders.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:49:49.576Z<\/p>\n Verona’s finished, swinging off after a hairpin bend. That leaves Ayuso with one more teammate.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:48:43.860Z<\/p>\n The yellow jersey of Magnier is among those dropped.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:48:28.501Z<\/p>\n 2 Lidl riders lead ahead of their leader Ayuso, and his former teammate Almeida is glued to his wheel in fourth.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:47:21.276Z<\/p>\n There looks to be only about 30 or so riders left in the peloton, with 6.5km still to climb.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:46:48.465Z<\/p>\n Red Bull and Decathlon are also well positioned towards the front.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:46:16.606Z<\/p>\n Lidl are back down to three at the front, but still Verona leads.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:46:01.806Z<\/p>\n Confirmation that McNulty gained three seconds at the last intermediate sprint, and Ayuso gained one second.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:45:16.498Z<\/p>\n Riders are being dumped out of the peloton, but for now only non-GC men like Ganna and De Lie.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:44:53.255Z<\/p>\n A fourth Lidl rider has made his way to the front – Carlos Verona.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:44:24.981Z<\/p>\n Lidl did much of the work earlier in the day, and are really going for it on this climb with a fast tempo.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:43:17.664Z<\/p>\n Those 3 riders continue to lead, with Ineos and UAE well represented behind them.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:41:45.333Z<\/p>\n Lidl-Trek lead the peloton onto the climb with three riders at the front, one of them Juan Ayuso.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:41:19.349Z<\/p>\n A 90 degree left turn takes them onto the foot of the climb, which ramps up to steep gradients right from the off.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:40:51.214Z<\/p>\n The race is really intensifying, with just over a kilometre to go until the final climb. Expect fireworks!<\/p>\n 10KM TO GO<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:39:56.626Z<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:39:21.709Z<\/p>\n Crash in the peloton, Keegan Swirbul has gone down. He’s back on his feet though and is looking to get racing again.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:37:27.250Z<\/p>\n Ayuso is among those sprinting for the bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint, as is UAE’s McNulty.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:35:59.141Z<\/p>\n That sprint was the first of two in quick succession, and some GC riders are sniffing around the front of the peloton in anticipation of some bonus seconds on offer.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:34:56.700Z<\/p>\n Sorarrain is caught, just in time for an intermediate sprint…<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:33:26.324Z<\/p>\n That leaves Sorarrain out front alone, with a slender advantage of only a handful of seconds.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:32:52.649Z<\/p>\n Contte buried himself to survive until that climb, and immediately upon cresting it, sat up, visibly exhausted.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:32:16.149Z<\/p>\n They have indeed, with Contte taking the points ahead of Sorarrain. That seals the mountain’s jersey for him for tomorrow’s stage, regardless of what happens on the final climb.<\/p>\n KOM – Casais<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:31:05.484Z<\/p>\n It looks like the leading duo will make it to the top before being caught.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:30:43.302Z<\/p>\n In the peloton, the sprinters are already sliding out the back on the steep slopes of this climb.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:30:14.297Z<\/p>\n Nunes has also been dropped at the front, leaving just Contte and Sorarrain left in the lead.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:29:16.691Z<\/p>\n Decathlon have taken control at the front of the peloton, riding for Paul Seixas.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:28:17.218Z<\/p>\n Now the peloton start the climb, just 30 seconds behind.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:27:59.245Z<\/p>\n The break are on the penultimate climb, and Tivani has been dropped already, followed by Leijnse.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:24:36.752Z<\/p>\n The pace is up in the peloton, but the breakaway riders are soldiering on, and still have a lead of 35 seconds. Can they survive until the next climb?<\/p>\n 20KM TO GO<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:22:24.274Z<\/p>\n Another puncture, this time for UAE\u2019s Felix Gro\u00dfschartner.Almeida will want him back by his side in time for the final climbs.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:19:12.416Z<\/p>\n Puncture for Laurens De Plus, who is one of Oscar Onley’s key climbing domestiques. He got it sorted quickly and should be back in the peloton imminently.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:16:14.813Z<\/p>\n A reminder that Juan Ayuso has a bit of a head start on his GC rivals, having gained three seconds in the Golden Kilometre sprint bonuses yesterday.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:14:22.656Z<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:10:05.733Z<\/p>\n The gap is at about 1 minute, as we come to within 15km of the penultimate climb.<\/p>\n 30KM TO GO<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:07:43.647Z<\/p>\n There isn\u2019t much respite between the final two climbs. Once they\u2019ve crested Casais (2km at 7.9%, there\u2019s only a brief plateau \/ false flat before the final climb begins.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:06:36.455Z<\/p>\n The gap continues to grow, out to over a minute now. It’s the calm before the storm, which will surely begin as the foot of the penultimate climb nears.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:05:20.197Z<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T16:02:50.021Z<\/p>\n Now on the flat section, the pace in the peloton has gone down, allowing for some comfort breaks and bidon collections. The gap to the break is therefore growing again, to over 30 seconds.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:57:38.024Z<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:56:35.646Z<\/p>\n Here are the updated KOM classification after that last climb, where Tivani and Nunes took the points behind Contte:<\/p>\n 1 Tomas Contte 12 points<\/p>\n 2 Nicol\u00e1s Tivani 4<\/p>\n 3 Enzo Leijnse 3<\/p>\n 4 Hugo Nunes 2<\/p>\n 5 Viacheslav Ivanov 2<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:54:20.563Z<\/p>\n The gap is actually coming down rather than growing, as Ineos Grenadiers set a pace on the downhill with Flippo Ganna.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:52:30.082Z<\/p>\n The break\u2019s lead plummeted on that climb to just 35 seconds, but they can be hopeful of growing it out again on the upcoming descent and long flat section leading to the final two climbs of the day.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:51:15.507Z<\/p>\n The five remaining riders in the break make it to the top together, with Contte again taking the points uncontested.<\/p>\n KOM – CASTELO DE ALFERCE<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:48:43.417Z<\/p>\n Over in Andalucia, stage two of the Ruta del Sol has finished – read all about it here.<\/a><\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:47:47.879Z<\/p>\n No team is pressing on at the front of the peloton, but the pace is high enough to see the gap to the break come down to under a minute.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:42:26.782Z<\/p>\n We’re on the climb, the Alferce. It rises for 4.3km at 6.1%. No sign of any increase in the peloton just yet.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:39:56.423Z<\/p>\n 1:30 is the gap between the break and the peloton, as they descend towards the foot of the day’s second classified climb.<\/p>\n 50KM TO GO<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:37:52.414Z<\/p>\n A lairy moment in the peloton when one rider lost balance having gone on the roadside grass to try and move up the peloton. Thankfully nobody went down.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:35:59.364Z<\/p>\n Linarez was the first to be dropped, and now Bonillo has lost contact.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:35:23.264Z<\/p>\n The break is on the second of these unclassified climbs, and is breaking up with some being dropped out of it. In truth this effort looks tough enough to merit a classification.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:34:00.480Z<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:30:52.529Z<\/p>\n No single team is controlling the peloton just yet, as everyone is happy to remain at a steady pace for now. They won\u2019t want to catch the break too early, which is a risk as they are only about 1:15 ahead.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:23:47.926Z<\/p>\n With the pace remaining steady, the break is holding their lead of 1:30 over the peloton for now.<\/p>\n 60KM TO GO<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:23:00.456Z<\/p>\n The riders are spread all across the road, and riding only a steady tempo on this uphill stretch.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:20:57.576Z<\/p>\n The peloton are labouring up the first of two successive unclassified climbs. Onley\u2019s Ineos are also present towards the front with big numbers, behind Lidl-Trek.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:17:20.345Z<\/p>\n Lidl-Trek are the team leading the peloton, in what feels like a statement of intent on behalf of Juan Ayuso.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:16:22.451Z<\/p>\n Following a long flat section, the parcours begins to undulate again from now. The next official climb isn\u2019t until another 10km, but there are some tricky unclassified rises prior to that.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:13:11.375Z<\/p>\n It\u2019s a pleasant, sunny day in the Alvarge, with blue skies and sunshine smiling down on the peloton.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:08:26.354Z<\/p>\n The gap’s come down some more, from 2:00 to 1:30. The GC teams have matters well under control, building up to what’s likely to be an exciting, hard-fought battle.<\/p>\n 70KM TO GO<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T15:04:38.999Z<\/p>\n Another young talent who is a contender today is Oscar Onley. This is his first GC race riding as leader for Ineos Grenadiers, and the British team are putting a lot of hope into him restoring their fortunes in stage races and Grand Tours.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:56:16.903Z<\/p>\n One of the most intriguing riders taking part today is Paul Seixas. He enjoyed an astronomical rise during the 2025 season, improving more and more as the year went on. Today, we\u2019ll get an idea of how much more he has developed over the winter.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:51:34.786Z<\/p>\n We’re in a holding pattern, with the gap still at 2 minutes.<\/p>\n 80KM TO GO<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:50:31.775Z<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:45:34.105Z<\/p>\n UAE Team Emirates XRG in the peloton. To support their leader Almeida, they can call upon the likes of Ant\u00f3nio Morgado, Felix Gro\u00dfschartner and Brandon McNulty, who will likely be the last man with Almeida on the final climb.<\/p>\n It’s a strong team, as we’ve come to expect from the team, but not one they will necessarily control the race with, given the strength of the opposition here this year.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:38:45.638Z<\/p>\n It’s still quiet out on the road, the gap remaining at 2:20 with 90km left to ride. The riders are enjoying a benign section of the route, before the climbs come later on.<\/p>\n 90KM TO GO<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:37:15.413Z<\/p>\n Florian Lipowitz is another top contender for the win today, as he looks to build on a season that saw him make the podium at the Tour de France last year. But he won\u2019t necessarily be the man for Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe – Dani Mart\u00ednez is also here, and said in the run-in to the race that he has big ambitions for the 2026 season, and despite the plethora of GC riders who are now a part of the team, does not want to just be a support rider.<\/p>\n ‘This is the year of my revenge’ \u2013 Despite rising bar for GC leaders at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Dani Mart\u00ednez is determined to still be a contender<\/a><\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:30:52.155Z<\/p>\n The fact that Ayuso\u2019s main rival of the day looks set to be Jo\u00e3o Almeida adds to the day\u2019s intrigue. Almeida was one of the riders Ayuso had to share leadership duties with during his time at UAE Team Emirates-XRG; surely the opportunity to get the better of him and show himself superior will be a motivating factor today?<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:27:44.034Z<\/p>\n Here are the updated KOM rankings:<\/p>\n 1 Tomas Contte 9 points<\/p>\n 2 Enzo Leijnse 3 points<\/p>\n 3 Viacheslav Ivanov 2 points<\/p>\n 4 Nicolas Tivani 2 points<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:26:13.369Z<\/p>\n Contte comfortably added three points to his Mountains tally at the top of the first climb, his teammate Tivani coming behind him to ensure nobody else took the two points on offer, while Nunes sealed the final point.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:23:20.318Z<\/p>\n The gap’s come down a little more, to 2:10, as the riders begin the second third of the day’s stage.<\/p>\n 100KM TO GO<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:21:31.201Z<\/p>\n Lidl-Trek are pulling at the front of the peloton. For their leader Jan Ayuso, this is a first chance to ride as a leader for his new team Lidl-Trek, and he\u2019ll be itching to prove a point having been frustrated at the lack of leadership opportunities at his former team UAE Team Emirates-XRG.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:17:28.768Z<\/p>\n Paul Mangier, enjoying his day in yellow.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:14:39.151Z<\/p>\n There’s been a crash in the bunch, with a Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mort\u00e1gua going down.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:13:23.887Z<\/p>\n The gap between the peloton and the break has stopped decreasing and is holding steady again at about 2:15.<\/p>\n 110KM TO GO<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:07:56.778Z<\/p>\n Jo\u00e3o Almeida at the start today, with a couple of his UAE teammates. Last year, he let his teammate Jan Christen take the stage win, but this year he\u2019ll surely want the win for himself as he chases overall victory.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T14:01:01.683Z<\/p>\n A first look at some of the riders who have made it into the day’s break.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:59:24.390Z<\/p>\n The gap between the peloton and the break is no longer holding steady, but falling, down to 2:20.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:57:53.861Z<\/p>\n The first of the day\u2019s four climbs isn\u2019t too far away – the Picota. The road rises lightly for a few kilometres, before ramping up to 7.9% for the final 1.4km to the summit. It\u2019s the easiest of the day, and will be a chance for Contte to increase his lead in the KOM classification – or for another rider in the break to challenge him.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:52:28.427Z<\/p>\n The break’s lead has stopped growing, the peloton now working to make sure they keep it under control, but remains at a healthy lead of 3:30.<\/p>\n 120KM TO GO<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:47:30.431Z<\/p>\n The finishing climb of Alto da F\u00f3ia might be familiar from previous editions of Volta ao Algarve, including last year when Jan Christen and Jo\u00e3o Almeida sealed a UAE 1-2<\/a>, but this year the riders take it on from another side.<\/p>\n And it looks like it\u2019ll be a significantly harder route to the top, with a steeper average gradient, making this a stage for the real climbers.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:40:32.925Z<\/p>\n It\u2019s very relaxed in the peloton. They\u2019ve already allowed the break to build a lead of 3:40 – a bigger lead than at any point during yesterday’s stage.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:35:58.336Z<\/p>\n Incidentally, Castro Pinto is indeed back in the peloton.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:35:20.023Z<\/p>\n So we have our break of the day, and no dangerous GC rider has managed to slip into it. They will need a big lead ahead of such a tough final climb to stand a chance of surviving to contest for the stage win.<\/p>\n 130KM TO GO<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:33:17.663Z<\/p>\n Pedro Castro Pinto had tried to get into the break as a representative of the GI Group Holding – Simoldes – UDO team, but is dangling only a few seconds ahead of the bunch and is set to be reabsorbed.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:32:17.006Z<\/p>\n The peloton is happy with the make-up of this break – they’ve sat up and allowed them a lead of over two minutes.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:28:41.957Z<\/p>\n Those eight riders are:<\/p>\n Tomas Contte<\/p>\n Gorka Sorarrain<\/p>\n Enzo Leijnse<\/p>\n Iker Bonillo Martin<\/p>\n Nicolas Tivani<\/p>\n Leangel Linare<\/p>\n Hugo Nunes<\/p>\n Alexandre Montez<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:28:26.020Z<\/p>\n It’s actually a group of 8 rather than 9 who are up the road, but they’re growing their lead, now up to about 40 seconds.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:24:10.861Z<\/p>\n Some of the names from yesterday’s break are present again, including the King of the Mountains leader Tomas Contte.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:23:06.413Z<\/p>\n A group of nine currently leads the race, albeit only with a slender lead of about 10 seconds on the peloton.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:18:57.032Z<\/p>\n Our report on stage four of the UAE Tour.<\/a><\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:14:46.172Z<\/p>\n The day\u2019s four official climbs come later in the stage, but the road from the start is still undulating, which could shape the kind of riders that form the day\u2019s break.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:12:41.093Z<\/p>\n And (at last) they’re off!<\/p>\n OFFICIAL START<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:10:10.916Z<\/p>\n Elsewhere in the cycling world, today\u2019s stage of the UAE Tour has just come to an exciting finish. We\u2019ll have a full report ready soon of how it went down.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:04:08.351Z<\/p>\n This is a long neutralised section – 9.8km in total – so we\u2019re still awaiting the flag to drop.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T13:00:22.646Z<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a glimpse of Portim\u00e3o, where the riders are making their way through the neutralised zone.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T12:56:03.724Z<\/p>\n Magnier alongside yesterday\u2019s runner-up, Jordi Meeus, prior to the unofficial start.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T12:50:23.094Z<\/p>\n The riders are mobile and making their way through the neutralised one, ahead of the official start.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T12:48:23.969Z<\/p>\n Paul Magnier at the start, resplendent in the leader’s yellow jersey.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T12:45:13.358Z<\/p>\n Some housekeeping from yesterday\u2019s stage – Santiago Mesa was relegated from 5th to 157th at the finish, having nearly caused Arnaud De Lie to crash, bumping the latter up to fifth.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T12:41:16.132Z<\/p>\n The summit finish will be Alto da F\u00f3ia, a mountain familiar from previous editions of the Volta ao Algarve as the destination of the second stage. Averaging 6.2% and lasting a lengthy 8.8km, it will be the toughest climb most of the riders competing have faced so far this season.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T12:34:46.986Z<\/p>\n Magnier won\u2019t remain in the leader\u2019s jersey by the end of the day, however. It might only be stage two, but the severity of the summit finish makes this the race\u2019s Queen Stage, which will prompt all of the GC hopefuls into action.<\/p>\n 2026-02-19T12:33:26.359Z<\/p>\n Paul Magnier wears the leader\u2019s jersey today after his excellent sprint finish yesterday, against an illustrious field of sprinters that also included Jasper Philipsen. It felt like a statement result from the young Frenchman, and a sign that his talent is blossoming yet more in this new season.<\/p>\n![\"FOIA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hsmkb6Wgp9rP9NiG5SxBfV.jpg\")
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