Deceuninck – Quick-Step Floors Cycling Team (Portugal) - Press Release: The Belgian took the third GC victory of his short career after a storming ride on the stage 5 individual time trial.

Remco Evenepoel demonstrated again not just his knack to thrive under pressure, but also his prowess against the clock, producing a flying ride on his Specialized Shiv over the testing 20.3km up-and-down course around Lagoa, the site of the final Volta ao Algarve day. The last rider to roll down the ramp, Remco bested the reference time at both intermediate checkpoints before stopping the clock in a stunning 24:07, a time ten seconds faster than the benchmark set by the world champion.

For Evenepoel, this was the second individual time trial of the season, after the one in Argentina four weeks ago, and the 20-year-old averaged over 50km/h on Sunday’s stage, putting more than half a minute between him and the two riders who rounded out the overall podium. This incredible display of power and panache secured his third GC triumph since turning pro last year, after those at the Tour of Belgium and Vuelta a San Juan.

The youngest ever winner in the history of the Volta ao Algarve, an eye-catching performance that came after a splendid all-round display throughout the week (which included another victory atop Alto da Foía), Evenepoel was emotional and struggling for words at the finish: “I went full gas today, and by the time I finished I knew the GC was safe, but nobody knew what was the stage result. It was only when Tom told me the result in the radio that I was relieved and could celebrate this win, which was important, as it came against the World ITT Champion and after a hard week of racing, where I went all out on both summit finishes, but also on today’s hard course.”

Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images.