British Champion Mark Cavendish won his first stage of the new season on a day where his Omega Pharma Quick Step team mate Michael Kwaitkowski won the Volta Ao Algarve.
The first break on the final 155.8km stage from Tavira to Vilamoura did not get together until a third of the day in Garikoitz Bravo (Efapel-Glassdrive), Angel Madrazo (Caja Rural-RGA Seguros), Delio Fernández (OFM-Quinta da Lixa), Jan Barta (Netapp-Endura), Francisco Moreno (Louletano-Dunas Douradas) and Oscar Pujol (SkyDive-Dubai).
They stayed away until the fourteen kilometres to go mark and Europcar led until the final kilometre when Omega Pharma Quick Step brought up Mark Cavendish who can the hammer down and shot past French duo Arnaud Démare of FDJ and Bryan Coquard of Europcar to win in a time of 3.24.10.
Cavendish was delighted with his first win of the season and felt that his lead out could not have been sweeter as his team had come to win win the yellow jersey, and his winning the stage was a bonus.
His team mate Michael Kwiatkowski finished the stage in 30th place and won the race over all with a nineteen second margin of victory over Alberto Contador of Tinkoff Saxo and thirty two seconds ahead of Rui Costa of Lampre.