Stage 1 of the Volta ao Algarve was retroactively cancelled after more than half of the peloton took a wrong turn in the final kilometer.
That mistake led to a field of sprinters battling it out on a road parallel to the finishing straight, but on the other side of the barriers from those few riders that had not gone the wrong way. Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) crossed the correct finish line first on the day – but the organizers ultimately decided to annul the stage altogether.
Filippo Ganna wins the SLIGHTLY BIZARRE first stage of Volta ao Algarve 🤯 #VoltaAoAlgarve pic.twitter.com/v0Zckq96ep
— Eemeli (@LosBrolin) February 19, 2025
The odd incident played out as the peloton was gearing up for an expected sprint finish in Lagos, when those at the head of the bunch followed a commissaire's vehicle onto a diversion rather than curving to the left to follow the race course. An official could be seen waving riders the other way, but apparently the signaling was not clear enough to those at the front of the pack.
Only a handful of riders further back in the field followed the correct route, with Ganna getting clear on the finishing straight. While the sprinters wound up to speed on a road where many fans were gathered expecting to see a bunch kick on the other side of the barriers, Ganna crossed the line and raised his hands in celebration.
Within an hour of Ganna's apparent victory, however, organizers decided that the bizarre result would not stand. Thursday's stage 2 will thus get underway as if the first stage had simply not taken place.
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