This Wednesday 14th of February, Gerben Thijssen obtained the third victory of the season for team Intermarché-Wanty, winning the 200 kilometer opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve in the sprint through the streets of Lagos.
In this way, he rewarded brilliant teamwork of his teammates, who took their responsibility in the race from the first to the last kilometer. Vito Braet first controlled and closed the gap to the early breakaway before Rune Herregodts, Mike Teunissen, Hugo Page, Adrien Petit and Laurenz Rex contributed to the launch of rocket Gerben Thijssen, who triumphs for the second time in 2024 after his success in the Trofeo Palma two weeks ago.
In addition to his stage win, Thijssen conquers the leader’s jersey of the Volta ao Algarve, on the eve of the first battle between the GC contenders on top of Alto da Fóia.
"I was determined to make a better start to the season than in 2023. Obtaining two victories at this level mid-February shows at what point I worked hard this winter to achieve this. It's nice to see that our efforts, mine and those of the team, bear fruit. I want to underline the major role my teammates played in this victory. All day long I was surrounded by six riders who controlled the race and fought for a good position. The headwind in the final didn't make it easy. I was convinced that if I could maintain my position on the short bump with 2 kilometer to go, that I had a good chance on the victory. The team worked incredibly hard to achieve this victory and I'm happy that I managed to reward them in this way. Tomorrow we will protect Rune Herregodts who's aiming for a good result in GC, before concentrating on the sprint again the next day."
