Racers couldn’t believe the numbers they saw on their bike computers during the first stage of the Volta ao Algarve on Wednesday. Stage 1 of the Portuguese event went from Portimāo to Lagos, for a distance of 200.8 km.
A strong tailwind definitely contributed to the rapid pace, according to GCN. In a social media update on Thursday, Geraint Thomas shared an Instagram story revealing his achievement of reaching speeds of 116 km/h. Another Ineos rider, Kim Heiduk, went even faster, reaching a whopping 118 km/h.
Michael Valgren was cautious
Not everyone was thrilled about the high speeds, given the danger of falling when you’re going as fast as a car on a highway. After the race, GCN spoke to EF Education-EasyPost rider Michael Valgren, who was quite cautious on the downhill, “I’m 32 now so I’m getting a bit old, right? I was braking a little bit and doing about 108 or 109 km/h but I saw people going 117 and I thought that was insane,” he said.
🇬🇧 Geraint Thomas’ 2024 schedule:
✅️ Volta ao Algarve
✅️ Volta a Catalunya
✅️ Tour of the Alps
✅️ Giro d’Italia
✅️ Tour de France
✅️ Olympics pic.twitter.com/5W9xuTmQok— Domestique (@Domestique___) January 24, 2024
Disc brakes give great stopping power, but he wasn’t sure just how that works when you’re going twice as fast as most downhills. “It was the second descent. I mean I know that our brakes have been tested but I don’t know if they’ve been tested at that speed,” he said. “We’re riding with 170 riders next to us, and there might have been cross-winds but I wasn’t going to risk my life. So I just slipped to the back and gave myself a few metres of safety. There are some people who are crazy enough to want to go faster and it gives you a kick to go at 120 km/h but I just didn’t want to risk anything.”
Gerben Thijssen of Intermarché – Wanty, took the win, over Marijn van den Berg (EF Education – EasyPost) and Jordi Meeus (BORA – hansgrohe.)
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…