The Polish cyclist Michal Kwiatkowski was crowned the overall winner of Volta ao Algarve 2014, registering the lowest cumulative time in the competition’s five stages.
In the final stage, the star British rider beat Frenchmen Arnaud Demare (FDJ.fr) and Bryan Coquard (Europcar) into second and third as he won the 155.9 kilometre stage between Tavira and Vilamoura in 3 hours, 24 minutes and 10 seconds.
The Omega Pharma-Quick-Step cyclist finished 19 seconds ahead of Spanish rival Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) and 32 seconds ahead of Portuguese World Champion Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida).
“It’s my first stage race victory, so I’m really happy,” Kwiatkowski said.
“I have been aiming for the general classification in the stage races, so to start my 2014 season like this is a good sign. It’s going to be a good spring coming not just for me, but the whole team. I’m really happy about it.”
British cyclist Mark Cavendish, also part of the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team, placed first in the final stage of the competition and helped Kwiatkowski achieve the overall win.
“I’m very happy,” he said afterwards. “We came here to win the yellow jersey, and to win the stage would be a bonus. We controlled the race and everybody rode incredibly well. It was a super strong lead out, everybody did their part.”
Portuguese cyclist Rui Costa also had a few words on finishing third.
“I could have given the Portuguese something to celebrate, but I didn’t.” Still, Costa admitted he was “very happy” with his and his team’s performance.
All in all, it was another successful edition in the Algarve’s prestigious cycling competition.
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