Magnus Sheffield sees bigger picture after valiant second to Evenepoel in Volta ao Algarve TT

Bike riders quickly grow used to defeat. It’s part and parcel within an environment where there can be only one winner from a field of almost 200.

Some defeats hurt more than others, but for Magnus Sheffield there was still a huge amount of credibility to be gained and built upon after stage 4 of the Volta ao Algarve.

After all, the 21-year-old American had just put in one of the best time trials of his young career, and for the briefest of moments he led the stage after putting the likes of Stefan Küng, Filippo Ganna and Wout van Aert to the sword. Unfortunately for Sheffield, world time trial champion Remco Evenepoel blitzed through the finish to take the win by 17 seconds and with it the overall lead.

Sheffield watched on from the hot seat, congratulated the Belgian, and then did his best to sum up what had been a rollercoaster of an afternoon in Portugal. 

“I was really impressed with the time trial by Remco. I can be happy with the first one of the season, and what I was able to do. It just wasn’t quick enough,” he told GCN.

"We still have a few things to improve upon and that will keep us hungry." 

Read more: Volta ao Algarve: Remco Evenepoel takes control with stage 4 time trial victory

© Dario Belingheri/Velo Collection via Getty Images

Magnus Sheffield out on the time trial course

Sheffield clearly has a huge appetite and he has been highlighted as one of the best up-and-coming riders for some time. This year he will make his long-awaited Grand Tour debut at the Giro d’Italia, but between that and the rest of the season the Ineos Grenadiers rider simply wants to make the most of every opportunity.

He lost to the better rider today, and although losing is a regular affair in cycling, there are also opportunities around almost every corner.

"It’s just about taking every chance that I can. I think it’s really important to focus on being my very own best. If that’s good enough to win, that’s awesome. If not, then I can’t do anything else about that.

"The Giro is a really big goal of mine, and to do my first Grand Tour. The Giro fits in the best with the programme that I want to do and with the rest of the races. Today, I came here to win so it is disappointing but it’s important to think about the big picture and the big goals.”

Looking ahead to the Giro d'Italia

Sheffield was down to make his Grand Tour debut in 2023 but a crash in the Tour de Suisse wrecked his Tour de France ambitions and there simply wasn’t enough time to prepare for the Vuelta a España. Ineos and the team’s management are still working on their long-list for the Giro but the American is a likely starter if he can continue his trajectory.

His Giro will revolve around supporting Geraint Thomas’ GC bid but there are also two time trials in which he will hope to shine. 

“It’s hard for me to say,” Sheffield told GCN when asked about his complete Giro ambitions. "It’s my first Grand Tour. It’s different because there are not many guys who go there with a clear leader in the teams so I’ll be there to try and support Geraint as much as possible.

"There are two long time trials, so those will be my opportunities to really show what I can do. I’m going to be giving my best for the team. We have a super strong team. We had some guys leave the team last year but I still think that we can be confident in the arsenal that we can bring there."

Today tastes like a defeat for Sheffield, even though his admirable performance deserves recognition. Many world-class riders have lost to Evenepoel against the clock and there’s no shame in that. As Sheffield says, it’s the big picture that counts, and come the end of May he’ll no doubt have expanded his ambitions even further.