How ‘comical, bizarre’ finale saw Algarve stage cancelled after riders miss finish line despite Filippo Ganna victory

The Volta ao Algarve was hit by a chaotic and incredible end to the first stage of the 2025 edition on Wednesday afternoon in Portugal. The majority of riders made a huge error in the final straight, but both pundits and riders thought that there had not been enough done to prevent the confusion that led to Filippo Ganna's apparent win for the Ineos Grenadiers team, before the stage was cancelled.

There was chaos at the end of Stage 1 of the Volta ao Algarve on Wednesday, when Filippo Ganna won "one of the most bizarre finishes" that saw the stage cancelled.

The final sprint to a stage often brings with it excitement and chaos. There have been serious injuries in recent years, too, and riders have focused on improving safety for periods where they are bunched up and sprinting at top speed.

In Portugal, though, there were no problems with safety. Instead, it was an altogether stranger experience.

Vuelta a España

Almeida gains precious seconds on Vingegaard as Ganna surges to ITT win on Stage 18

11/09/2025 at 18:25

Coming off a roundabout into the final straight, the majority of the peloton ducked along the right-hand side road and powered onto what they expected to be the finish line.

However, a handful of riders - Ineos Grenardiers' Ganna included - were aware that it was the left-hand side that they needed to go down, and it was the Italian who claimed a victory with hardly anybody behind to give him a challenge.

Speaking on Eurosport, former rider Robbie McEwen blamed the organisers for the error, and suggested that the commissaires would have to go some way to address the problem for the teams, with most riders having to backtrack, and jump over the fence with their bikes to finish the race.

Explained: The ‘comical’ finish that led to cancellation of Stage 1 in Algarve

Video credit: TNT Sports

He said: "Those signals should have come much earlier.

"It is a very natural line to take. In Europe, you drive and ride on the right-hand side. It’s the natural line and there was nobody telling them otherwise. The barrier set-up on that side is non-existent.

"This is comical. They know they’re on the wrong side, they know they’ve gone the wrong way.

"The rule in cycling is that no matter what happens, it is the riders’ responsibility to know the course and stay on course.

"What will happen in this case is nobody will lose time. "

McEwen's guess was proved right as the organisers confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the stage had been cancelled.

Rob Hatch was taken aback by the error as it happened, and reflected on an unlikely denouement.

He exclaimed: "Riders have gone to the wrong side! What on Earth has happened here? Riders are all over the place here. This is a farcical finish to the stage! 

"It’s almost like they're in a parallel universe, but Ganna has won in one of the most bizarre finishes we have seen in a long time!"

‘A joke’ – Haller says there ‘needs to be consequences’ after ‘ridiculous’ Stage 1 finish

Video credit: TNT Sports

Tudor rider Haller brands error 'a joke'

Veteran Tudor Pro rider Marco Haller had little patience for the experience, and hoped that riders would not be given the blame.

He said: "You could see on the last kilometre, the deviation wasn’t blocked by the officials, and obviously when the riders are coming they followed the motorbikes, like they always do, and for me it’s pretty ridiculous.

"We cycled 190km to put ourselves in a perfect position and then everything was for nothing. That’s a joke. There need to be consequences for the organisers, for the officials. It’s always the riders who are blamed. Heat of the moment, it’s a race situation. It’s very frustrating.

"That was just poor. It’s very frustrating for all of the riders."

- - -

Stream the 2025 cycling season, including the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes, live on discovery+

Tour de France

Ganna's Tour de France return ends in misery following Stage 1 crash due to 'symptoms of concussion'

05/07/2025 at 23:46

Paris - Roubaix Men

Ganna says riding Paris-Roubaix like ‘being in a washing machine’

10/04/2025 at 22:36