The second stage of the Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta didn’t bring Team LottoNL-Jumbo any success. Thanks to yesterday’s win, Dylan Groenewegen started in the leader's jersey, but he had already taken into account that he would have to cede the lead in today's mountain stage. And so it happened.

The more than one hundred and eighty kilometres long stage led the riders over steep hills, culminating in the finish at Fóia, which is just a little under a thousand metres high. On that ascent, a group escaped and Team LottoNL Jumbo rider Sepp Kuss tried to jump along, but they were caught quickly by the group with favourites.

According to sports director Merijn Zeeman, no harm was done. "In this stage race our focus is not on the general classification. For us it’s all about the sprint and today there was little sprinting. The boys have to use these days to invest in their condition and to get better.”

The same applies to the twenty-kilometre long individual time trial, scheduled for tomorrow. "We do not have a strong favourite for a top result. Though Saturday’s stage is very important to us. Then we should be able to sprint again", Zeeman said.