Johansen wins Volta a Portugal time trial as Guerin holds yellow jersey with shrinking lead
Denmark's Julius Johansen dominated the 17.4 km individual time trial on stage 5 of the 87th Volta a Portugal on 10 August, while Alexis Guerin held the yellow jersey as teammate Artem Nych closed the gap in the general classification.
Stage 5 time trial
Julius Johansen (UAE Emirates) claimed his second stage win of the 87th Volta a Portugal, covering the 17.4-kilometre individual time trial between Anadia and Águeda on 10 August in 21 minutes 13 seconds at an average speed of 49.2 km/h. The 26-year-old Dane, who also won the opening prologue in Lisbon, sat in the hot seat early and was never dislodged. Tiago Antunes (Efapel) took second, 30 seconds back, with Axel van der Tuuk (Euskaltel-Euskadi) third at 35 seconds (one source reported 36). Artem Nych (Anicolor-Campicarn) finished fourth at 39 seconds, while yellow jersey holder Alexis Guerin posted the eighth-best time, 53 seconds adrift.
- Johansen
- 0 s
- Antunes
- 30 s
- Nych
- 39 s
- Guerin
- 53 s
General classification
Guerin retained the race lead but saw his cushion over teammate Nych narrow from 1:26 to 1:12, with most sources reporting the new gap (TSF cited 1:09). Nych gained 14 seconds on the stage, though one source reported a 32-second gain. Antunes leapt from outside the top five to third overall, 1:52 behind Guerin (TSF reported 1:51), becoming the best-placed Portuguese rider. José Fernandes (Gi Group Simoldes) dropped to fourth at 2:04, with Adria Pericas (UAE Emirates) fifth and Emanuel Duarte (Credibom) sixth. Pedro Silva (Feira dos Sofás-Boavista) fell to seventh, 45 seconds further back than Fernandes. Rui Carvalho and Adrian Bustamante held 13th and 16th respectively.
Anicolor's internal duel
The battle within Anicolor-Campicarn between Guerin and Nych shaped the stage. Guerin rode aggressively, at one point mounting a pavement and losing seconds. Team director Rúben Pereira noted the balance.
It was a technical time trial, it was a result within expectations. Artem is very well, Guerin went all out, risked a bit and I even told him not to risk so much. The team wants to hold the yellow, but the hardest part of the Volta a Portugal is still to come.
Guerin remained composed about the shrinking margin.
I'm not afraid, I have a high-level team and we're a collective of friends. The goal is always to win the Volta. We have two plans. We knew that if it wasn't Nych, I'd be in a position to win.
Olympic champion at the start
Olympic track cycling champion Iuri Leitão visited the race caravan at the start near the Velódromo Nacional de Sangalhos, marking two years since his madison gold at the Paris Olympics. Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, Cycling Federation president Cândido Barbosa and national track selector Gabriel Mendes accompanied the honour committee. Rui Oliveira, the UAE Emirates rider Leitão came to support, finished 19th on the stage.
- Johansen wins the opening prologue
- Torre summit finish: Guerin takes yellow jersey, opens 1:26 gap on teammate Nych
- Stage 5 time trial (17.4 km, Anadia to Agueda): Johansen wins in 21:13
- Rest day
- Stage 6: Europarque (Santa Maria da Feira) to Peso da Regua, 132.6 km
What comes next
The peloton rests on Tuesday before stage 6 on Wednesday, a 132.6-kilometre route from the Europarque in Santa Maria da Feira to Peso da Régua. Five stages remain, with Pereira pointing to the demands of Gerês and Senhora da Graça. Johansen, who previously raced the Volta for a Portuguese team and finished second in both time trials that year, reflected on his return.
I'm very happy. I like to finish my Volta a Portugal like this. I wanted a stage. I knew the prologue would be positive, but I also expected a good day in this time trial. It's a great victory.
