Geraint Thomas wins 2015 Volta ao Algarve; André Greipel gets final stage victory
-Team Sky's Thomas finishes safely to seal the overall -Greipel sprints to first win of the season Photos by Graham Watson
Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) sealed overall victory in the 2015 Volta ao Algarve on Sunday, as German André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) sprinted to victory on the final stage.
The win in Portugal is makes it a successful weekend for the Welshman's Sky team, as Chris Froome took overall victory at the Ruta del Sol on the same day.
Thomas had initially put himself into the yellow leader's jersey after a solo win on stage three before extending his lead in the individual time trial on stage four. He then finished safely on the final stage to maintain his 27 second lead over his nearest rival Michal Kwiatkowski (Etixx - Quick-Step).
Geraint Thomas's greatest hits... and misses
André Greipel took the stage victory when the race finally came together in the last kilometre, after Movistar riders Adriano Malori and Jonathan Castroviejo made an attack late in the day to join the five rider breakaway already out front.
Greipel then sprinted to the line to take his first victory of the season, but it was Thomas who took the overall spoils in the early season race, displaying fine form as he prepares to embark on a spring classics campaign.
Result
Volta ao Algarve 2015, stage five: Almodôvar - Vilamoura, 184 km
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1 Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal, 4-15-40
2 Tom van Asbroeck (Bel) LottoNL-Jumbo, same time
3 Raymond Kreder (Ned) Team Roompot, st
4 Rudiger Selig (Ger) Katusha, st
5 Gianni Meersman (Bel) Etixx – Quick-Step, st
7 Roy Jans (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert, st
8 Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Soudal, st
9 Alexander Porsev (Rus) Katusha, st
10 Ben Swift (GB) Team Sky, st
Final overall classification
1 Geraint Thomas (GB) Team Sky, 19-46-13
2 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Etixx – Quick-Step, at 27 seconds
3 Tiago Machado (Por) Katusha, at 1-11
4 Richie Porte (Aus) Team Sky, at 1-14
5 Luis Leon Sanchez (Esp) Astana, at 1-18
6 Rein Taaramae (Est) Astana, at 1-19
7 Sergei Chernetckii (Rus) Katusha, at 1-32
8 Alberto Losada (Esp) Katusha, at 1-55
9 Ruben Fernandez (Esp) Movistar, at 2-04
10 Ion Izagirre (Esp) Movistar, at 2-21
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Follow on Twitter: @richwindy
Richard is digital editor of Cycling Weekly. Joining the team in 2013, Richard became editor of the website in 2014 and coordinates site content and strategy, leading the news team in coverage of the world's biggest races and working with the tech editor to deliver comprehensive buying guides, reviews, and the latest product news.
An occasional racer, Richard spends most of his time preparing for long-distance touring rides these days, or getting out to the Surrey Hills on the weekend on his Specialized Tarmac SL6 (with an obligatory pub stop of course).
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