After the European openers in Spain and France, the peloton moves to the southern coast of Portugal for the 2026 Volta ao Algarve. Starting on Wednesday 18th February, the five-day stage race looks poised to be a decisive battle for the GC contenders in this early-season period.
Last year’s edition was a closely fought contest between a host of star names, including Jonas Vingegaard, João Almeida and Primož Roglič. In the overall standings, the Dane would come out victorious, with the home nation’s Almeida in second and Ineos rider Laurens De Plus in third.
The 2025 champion has decided to skip this year’s Volta ao Algarve, leaving João Almeida to start as favourite for the title. He’ll be alongside a fleet of riders targeting the 2026 Tour de France later this year as Florian Lipowitz, Oscar Onley and Juan Ayuso bid for the yellow jersey.
Volta ao Algarve 2026 key information
- Date: 18th-22nd February 2026
- Start: Vila Real de Santo António
- Finish: Malhão (Loulé)
- Stages: 5
- Distance: 673.7km
- 2024 winner: Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)
- Live television coverage: TNT Sports, Discovery+, RTVE, FloBikes, HBO Max, Eurosport
Volta ao Algarve 2026 route and stage-by-stage preview
The parcours for this year’s Volta ao Algarve offers a well-balanced mix of profiles, with two stages suited to the sprinters, two for the climbers, and an individual time-trial for equal measure.
It all begins in the eastern tip of the region towards the Spanish border, where the sprinters will get a shot at stage victory in Tavira. The following day, the race heads further down the coast for the first summit finish of the week at the Alto de Fóia.
The GC will receive another shake-up on Stage 4 as the riders navigate a flat 19km time-trial in Vilamoura, followed by one last sprint into Lagos. That leaves one last mountaintop finish at the end of Stage 5, which loops around the centrepiece climb of Malhão.
Stage 1, Wednesday 18th February, Vila Real de Santo António – Tavira, 183km
The race gets underway in the border town of Vila Real Santo Antonio. The first 50km will skirt along the Spanish frontier before turning towards the coast for a succession of two hills. The riders will pass through Vila Real Santo Antonio for a golden kilometre, featuring three bonus second sprints, before heading west towards Tavira on flat roads.
Stage 2, Thursday 19th February, Portimão – Fóia, 147km
The second stage starts along the coast in Portimão, known for its motorsport track. The first two-thirds of the stage are largely undulating, with a few categorised bumps along the way. After passing through a quick succession of intermediate sprints in Casais and Serenada, the riders will face the Alto de Fóia (8.8km at 6.2%). Used in every edition of the Volta ao Algarve since 2017, the peak has crowned Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel in the past. Last year, UAE Team Emirates XRG’s Jan Christen took the stage honours atop Fóia.
Stage 3, Friday 20th February, Vilamoura – Vilamoura, 19.5km (ITT)
The time-trial bikes will get an outing on Stage 3 for a 19km race against the clock. The profile offers just 140m of vertical gain, so expect the purists to thrive on this flat test around the marina town of Vilamoura.
Stage 4, Saturday 21st February, Albufeira – Lagos, 175km
We head to the holiday town of Albufeira for the start of Stage 4. The route wraps around the western part of the region, with another golden kilometre on offer at Alzejur, the race’s most westerly point. From there, the race returns to the southern coast for an expected sprint in Lagos, a frequent host city for the Volta ao Algarve.
Stage 5, Sunday 22nd February, Faro– Malhão, 148km
The final stage heads out from the regional capital of Faro. After a brief run-in with the coast, the peloton will turn inland for a relentless final 60km, which features four classified climbs as part of a finishing circuit. The loop covers Soidos (2.1km at 7%) first, then the Alto do Malhão (2.7km at 8.9%), just 10km after the summit. On the final lap, the Malhão will serve as a summit finish.
The Alto do Malhão has welcomed the Volta ao Algarve on each edition since 2009. While Tom Pidcock and Jonas Vingegaard appear on this mountain’s roll of honour, Alberto Contador is the most successful visitor, having won here on three occasions.
Volta ao Algarve 2026 favourites
There’s a host of top stage racing names at this year’s Volta ao Algarve. Given our early point in the season, many GC contenders will be using the event as a chance to get their 2026 season underway.
One of those riders is Ayuso, who will be using the race to make his debut in Lidl-Trek colours. The Spaniard should perform well in the two punchy finales and the 19km race against the clock. He’ll also want to prove himself after leaving UAE Team Emirates XRG in tense fashion last autumn.
We shouldn’t discount Almedia either. At his country’s biggest stage race, the UAE rider will be highly motivated to finally add this race to his palmarès. Recent form from the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana suggests he’ll be in contention for a podium, with a similar pair of support riders in Brandon McNulty and Felix Großschartner. Regardless, seeing Almeida go head-to-head with Ayuso will also be an interesting storyline to follow after the pair’s escapades over the last few seasons as teammates.
Among the other names here, look towards Ineos debutants Onley and Kévin Vauquelin, last year’s white jersey winner Lipowitz and youngster Paul Seixas to light up proceedings at this year’s Volta ao Algarve.
Cyclist‘s ratings
- ★★★★★: João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates XRG), Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek)
- ★★★★: Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates XRG), Oscar Onley (Ineos Grenadiers)
- ★★★: Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), Kévin Vauquelin (Ineos Grenadiers), Daníel Martinez (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM), Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon-CMA CGM)
- ★★: Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal-QuickStep)
- ★: Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché), Yannis Voisard (Tudor Pro Cycling), Felix Großschartner (UAE Team Emirates XRG), Max Poole (Picnic-PostNL)
How to watch Volta ao Algarve 2026
Viewers in the UK can only watch the Volta ao Algarve on TNT Sports, which is available to stream through Discovery+. Every stage will be aired on TNT Sports 1, often after the conclusion of both the UAE Tour and the Vuelta a Andalucia.
Elsewhere, FloBikes has the coverage across Canada, while most of Europe will be able to tune in via Eurosport or its streaming services Discovery+ or HBO Max. For free-to-air coverage in Portugal, all five stages will be broadcast on RTP.
If the race isn’t being broadcast in your country, or you are travelling abroad, a VPN will allow you to hide your device’s location to access content that is normally geo-blocked.
UK TV times
Stage 1, Wednesday 18th February
TNT Sports 1: 15:00–17:00
Discovery+: 15:00–17:00
Stage 2, Thursday 19th February
TNT Sports 1: 15:00–17:00
Discovery+: 15:00–17:00
Stage 3, Friday 20th February
TNT Sports 1: 15:00–17:00
Discovery+: 15:00–17:00
Stage 4, Saturday 21st February
TNT Sports 1: 14:30–15:45
Discovery+: 14:30–15:45
Stage 5, Sunday 22nd February
TNT Sports 1: 14:30–15:45
Discovery+: 14:30–15:45
International broadcasters
- Canada: FloBikes
- Europe: Eurosport (not UK and Ireland)
- Portugal: RTP, Eurosport
- United Kingdom: TNT Sports
- USA: Max
Volta ao Algarve 2026 startlist
