For the first time with his new jersey, Johan Jacobs went up the road this Saturday, on stage 4 of the Volta ao Algarve. The Swiss man led the way for nearly 150 kilometres in the day’s breakaway before a bunch sprint crowned Milan Fretin. Despite his long ride up front, the 26-year-old rider also took part in the sprint and grabbed seventeenth place. Romain Grégoire is in tenth place overall before the closing time trial towards Malhao on Sunday.
There was a small uncertainty with how stage 4 of the Tour of the Algarve would unfold this Saturday. As the route between Albufeira and Faro was not completely smooth and straight, some expected action in the first kilometres. “We decided to be aggressive at the start of the stage in order to put a guy in the breakaway,” explained Frédéric Guesdon. “We had to keep an eye on the breakaway, especially if it was an interesting group,” added Johan Jacobs. “Just after the start, a big group got away, and once it was caught, I joined a counterattack. I was hoping there would be more riders with me, but there were only four of us. Then, once you are in the front, you can’t hesitate.” The Swiss rider got the company of Warre Vangheluwe, Gorka Sorarrain and Nicolás Tivani, and took a lead of almost eight minutes in the first hour of racing. “We rode well, the peloton gave us quite a big margin, but again, there were only four of us,” repeated Johan. “It was still a long day, with a lot of elevation gain and quite a few big roads in the final that suited the peloton more.”
“A good simulation for the opening weekend”, Johan Jacobs
Before the day’s last climbs, located in the last thirty kilometres, the leading quartet still had a two-minute lead. “I still believed in it until the penultimate climb, but the peloton went all out”, added Johan. “I also felt that the other guys in the breakaway were a bit cooked, but I needed them after the climb”. His attempt eventually ended at the top of the final hill, seventeen kilometres from the finish. “It’s a pity that the breakaway wasn’t bigger, because Johan deserved better considering what he showed today”, said Frédéric. “It’s a good sign for the Classics”, commented the Swiss rider. “It was a good simulation for the opening weekend.” From then on, a bunch sprint loomed in the streets of Faro, but Lewis Askey was unable to get involved since he was dropped earlier after feeling unwell all day. Johan Jacobs then got back in the mix to grab seventeenth place of the day, followed by Romain Grégoire, twentieth.
The latter will start the final time trial on Sunday with a twenty-six second deficit on the leader, Jan Christen. “The time trial is obviously important for Rémi, Stefan and for Romain,” concluded Frédéric. “There are no big gaps overall. You can finish at the top of the ranking as well as twentieth. You’ll need to perform really well.” This year, the time trial will end at the top of the well-known Alto do Malhao (2 km at 9%) after some twenty kilometres of racing.
