Wout van Aert didn't end up on the podium or in the top five overall at the Volta ao Algarve, but his powerful attack during stage 5 made the race more exciting and less predictable.

After winning the time trial on stage 4 and securing second place on Alto do Foia two days earlier, it seemed improbable for anyone to challenge Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) as the race leader. The only remaining suspense for the 2024 Volta ao Algarve was the winner of Sunday's final summit finish on Alto do Malhão.

Van Aert had a different plan. About 42 kilometers from the end of stage 5, he launched a powerful attack, catching up to the remaining group of a 20-man early break, including Ben Healy from EF Education-EasyPost. This move unexpectedly revived the competition.

With the help of Jumbo-Visma teammate Per Strand Hagenes, who fell back from the breakaway, Van Aert, along with Healy, maintained a small lead just above the 1:18 gap on the general classification (GC) between him and race leader Evenepoel. This prompted Soudal-QuickStep to increase their speed and chase behind.

Van Aert and Healy's tough effort lost momentum at the start of the final climb of Malhão. Soudal had exhausted their support, but with some help from Bora-Hansgrohe, they managed to catch up. Despite this, Van Aert's bold attack added an exciting twist to the 2024 Volta ao Algarve, especially after it seemed like there were no surprises left.

Van Aert, who finished 13th in the stage and is now seventh overall, shared with reporters at the top. "We tried to create a surprise, we wanted to put pressure on the other teams and that worked well," 

"When I attacked it looked good, although I already felt that Healy was a little better than me."

"We had also hoped to create a little more chaos beforehand so that a few more team workers would have been dropped. Instead, the bunch was still too intact behind when I went for it, which was a shame. That meant my attack had less chance of success."

"Finally the peloton came back pretty quickly" - albeit reduced to just over 20 units as a result of the all-out pursuit behind by Evenepoel's and Dani Martinez's domestiques - "so I deliberately sat up to try something at the last part of the climb."

"Unfortunately, that didn't prove to be possible, but I am satisfied with how this last day played out all the same."

Apart from Van Aert's bold approach, his teammate Jan Tratnik secured third place overall in the Volta ao Algarve. This is promising for the defending champion's upcoming race in Belgium, Het Nieuwsblad, where they will be part of the same squad. Additionally, Sepp Kuss had a strong performance with third and sixth places on the summit finishes in Algarve, securing eighth place overall after previously finishing sixth in the Clásica Jaén.

The standout performer for Visma-Lease A Bike this week was undoubtedly Van Aert, shining through his stage 3 sprint victory and his late attack in stage 5. While the decision to go for stage 3 was made just 10 kilometers from the finish as a last-minute choice, the move in stage 5 was more calculated. Both actions surprised the audience and brought an exciting element to the race.

 "I am satisfied. We are on the last day and the legs still feel good, so it's been a good week," Van Aert said. "I won a stage, and in addition, I was able to show myself in two difficult stages. The terrain was a bit too tough for me to win, but it was beautiful all the same."

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