Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) joined Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) on a 40km final-day raid off the front at Volta ao Algarve today. The Irish champion was the last rider standing in the final 2km on the Alto do Malhāo finishing climb.
While Healy was eventually overhauled close to the finish, by a small select group including race leader Remco Evenepoel (Soudal QuickStep), he had put in a great performance confirming his form, and confidence, are really building.
Healy also scored an added bonus of moving up the general classification standings, as he had also done yesterday when he placed 7th on the TT stage 4.
Today's 165.8km stage from Faro to Alto do Malhāo saw a large breakaway go clear. And with 40km to go, that front group of about 20 riders still had two minutes on the main field, led by Soudal-QuickStep in defence of Evenepoel's yellow jersey.
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However, just as the racing dipped under the 40km to go marker, Van Aert attacked from the peloton and he was joined by Ireland's Healy.
Those two were aided by Van Aert's team mate, Per Strand Hagenes, dropping out of the breakaway to wait up for them, and the trio caught the breakaway with about 30km to go.
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At that point, as the breakaway was still well over one minute clear, Van Aert and Healy were 1st and 2nd overall in the virtual general classification on the road.
When the breakaway hit the finish climb of Alto do Malhāo, for the first passage with 20km still to go, Healy and Van Aert went to the front and rode away. Only Gijs Leemreize (Team dsm-firmenich Post NL), who was in the initial large breakaway, was able to move with them.
And that's the way it stayed until they reached the climb for the last time, where Healy pushed on alone at the front of the race, dropping Van Aert and then Leemreize.
However, just behind, the peloton had been whittled down to a select group and had closed to within 30 seconds of the leaders. And though Healy hung on out front on his own until 2km to go, Mikel Landa was on the front of the chase for Evenepoel.
Healy was eventually caught, though he still had the legs to stay in the eight-strong select group. Indeed, he even came to the front again to push it on, apparently trying to ensure the best general classification position possible.
As the finish line neared, a repeat of stage 2's finale played out; Evenepoel going too early and being beaten by Dani Martínez (Bora-hansgrohe). Tom Pidcock, after a poor ride in yesterday's TT and a poor race for his Ineos Grenadiers team, put up a good final effort for 3rd place today.
Healy lost out in the final 500m, slipping back to finish 8th at 16 seconds but having been the man of the day, alongside Van Aert. The race was won overall by Evenepoel, who finished 43 seconds up on Martínez, but with the Colombian beating him solidly for victory on the two uphill finishes.
Jan Tratnik (Visma-Lease a Bike) took a great result for him with 3rd overall, at 1:21, with Healy 4th on the final standings some 1:42 down.
