Filippo Ganna briefly believed he had won the opening stage of the Tour of Algarve, before the result was annulled after a chaotic finish. (Getty Images: Tim de Waele) The opening stage of the Tour of Algarve in Portugal has ended in chaos when most of the peloton took the wrong road just before the finish, and race organisers later cancelled the results.
When the riders came through a roundabout just before the home straight on Wednesday, local time, the lead car went the wrong side of the barriers and the majority of the bunch followed suit, leaving the crowd bewildered as they watched two races unfurl.
The mix-up left Italy’s Filippo Ganna with an easier than expected sprint finish and the Ineos Grenadiers rider raised his arms in celebration well before he crossed the line.
Loading YouTube content
"I know that everyone took the wrong route, and I took the right one," Ganna told Eurosport.
"You need to know the rules, and you need to know the course. In the past, I took the wrong route during the time trial, and because of that, I lost the race. Now it’s different, and I win."
However, Ganna’s joy was short-lived.No winner’s ceremony took place, the podium in Lagos was left empty and the 192.2-kilometre ride from Portimao was all in vain."On the approach to the finish line in Lagos, the peloton became divided and a large number of the riders took the wrong route, followed the detour of the support cars and missed the finish […]
Continue reading the original article at: www.abc.net.au