Today's queen stage of the Volta ao Algarve led the riders over 216 kilometers from Tavira up to the Alto do Malhao. Jose Mendes of BORA – ARGON 18 showed his climbing skills and finished in a great 10th place. Richie Porte (Sky) scored the stage victory ahead of the World Champion Michal Kwiatkowski (Etixx – Quick Step) and Ion Izagirre (Movistar). Geraint Thomas (Sky) remains the leader of the tour on the eve of the final stage.

“We were very well prepared today because Jose and Björn [Thurau] knew the course. That was a huge advantage when we crossed the finish line for the first time and we came to a part with crosswinds. The guys were in front and got the maximum out of it. The result is fine, most of all the tenth place of Jose. You can see that the form of our experienced climbers is getting better and better every day. That makes me optimistic for the upcoming races”, said a happy Sport Director Christian Pömer after the stage.

The final stage will be one for the sprinters again. Even though a mountain classification of the third category is included in the race over 185 kilometers, there are more than 100 km to go after it till the finish. That should suit the sprinters.