Marcel Kittel has won the opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve.
Former Tour De France winner Alberto Contador was amongst those taking part but not Team Sky's Michal Kwiatkowski who was ill and the Spaniard and those present took on a 163km course from Lagos to Albufeira.
Gonçalves (Efapel), Kolobnev (Gazprom-RusVelo) and Gradek (Verva ActiveJet) were the first to form a break getting clear after eight kilometres and they were 6.30 ahead when Gradek took the day's climb and the first jersey of the race after thirty four kilometres.
That lead had extended to eight minutes when the Polish rider Kamil Gradek took the first sprint after 81kms.
It had dropped to 3.30 by the time, Gradek took the second sprint, some thirty one kilometres later and down to just over a minute when Gradek took the third sprint in Albufeira.
With 156kms gone, the four up front were brought back to the fold and there was a crash.
The sprint trains moved up and with a kilometre left, there was another crash but the main boys were still there and Marcel Kittell of Etixx Quick Step took the win in 3.52.35, beating Andre Greipel by a bike length, with Jasper Stuyven of Trek Segafredo third, Wouter Wippert of Cannondale fourth and Victor Campenaerts of LottoNL-Jumbo in fifth with British rider Alex Dowsett of Movistar in eighth place.