LISBON - Belgium's Gianni Meersman, riding for Etixx-Quickstep, won the first stage of the Tour of Algarve on Wednesday in a sprint finish after a 166.7km ride from Lagos to Albufeira.
Belgium's Gianni Meersman, pictured in 2013, won the first stage of the Tour of Algarve on February 18, 2015
Meersman outpaced British rider Ben Swift and German Paul Martens to take a four-second overall lead, thanks to a time bonus.
Sky rider Swift is second with Martens 6sec back heading into Thursday's 197.2km stage between Lagoa and Monchique.
The race is run over five days, including a 19km time-trial on Saturday, and finishes at Vilamoura the following day.
Stage
1. Gianni Meersman (BEL/Etixx-QuickStep) 4hr 13min 53sec, 2. Ben Swift (GBR) s.t., 3. Paul Martens (GER) s.t., 4. Roy Jans (BEL) s.t., 5. Zdenek Stybar (CZE) s.t.
Overall
1. Gianni Meersman 4hr 13min 43sec, 2. Ben Swift (GBR) at 4sec, 3. Paul Martens (GER) 6, 4. Roy Jans (BEL) 10, 5. Zdenek Stybar (CZE) s.t.