Fabio Jakobsen outsprinted Tim Merlier and Bryan Coquard to take the victory on stage 3 of the Volta ao Algarve.
Coquard opened the sprint with 200m to go. However, coming off the wheels of his teammates, Jakobsen launched an all-or-nothing sprint that overhauled the French rider, and kept Merlier at a distance.
“We always try to win. We lost Tim Declercq, who felt sick last night, we missed him today. But the rest of the guys did a perfect job. They put me in the perfect position at the bottom,” Jakobsen said.
“I have to say a special thanks to Kasper Asgreen. He kept me out of the wind and was there in the final, even though he was sick last week. It was, again, perfect teamwork, and I’m happy to have the strongest legs here on the uphill. It was a good sprint here in Faro.
“This finish is never easy, it’s about positioning in the last two kilometres. We were always there in the top ten places and then it’s about taking the roundabout, then it’s 400 metres uphill.
“I launched my sprint with 200 metres to go, with Coquard. He can do a sprint like this but it’s full gas to the line. I could see Tim Merlier behind me but he couldn’t get past me on the left.”
