Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) was second overall in the Volta ao Algarve and tied in time with race leader Remco Evenpole (Deceuninck-Quick Step). However, the German is under no pressure to overtake the young Belgian ahead of the hilltop finish in the Alto de Malhão and the time trial on the final day.

Instead, the first race of the season was all about getting back into a rhythm. Not that the results so far, a close second in Alto da Foia, are not encouraging.

"I came here to get back into the rhythm of the race, so I'm not putting pressure on myself," Schachmann told Cycling News after the third stage in Tavira. [The big goal is next month and April, and I'm really happy with the result of this stage, but I don't want to put a lot of pressure on my shoulders.

"We'll see how the legs feel in Mulhern. Hopefully the feeling will be the same as in the second stage, and if so, I will try.

Schachmann was eventually passed by Evenpoel on the Queen of Races Feuer stage. Evenpoel was left behind 400m from the summit, and although he was unable to overtake the Belgian, he put in one of his strongest runs.

"It was really close," Schachmann said. 'My legs feel good. It's always kind of a surprise to see how I'm doing after the winter and I'm happy with my form and condition. It was a normal offseason. I had a good preparation."

"It was a good preparation," he said.

This early last year, Schachmann tried his hand at the UAE Tour, eventually finishing 13th overall.

He followed that up with stage wins at GP Industria & Artigernat and Volta a Catalunya, three wins at Iturria Basque, and a fifth-place finish at the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne, before finishing third at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, A glorious spring followed.

While it may be premature to attribute his February results to his April results, Schachmann said the signs are encouraging, adding that he expects to be stronger as a rider from last season, which was the best of his three-year professional career.

"I'm in a little better shape this time of year," he said. Last year on the UAE Tour, I got better with each day, and now on the second day I'm already feeling pretty good." This is a good sign. Like I said, I'm happy with everything right now."

"I hope I'm improving. That's always the goal. We'll see in the next two, three, four months."

To arrive in the Ardennes in peak form, Schachmann's spring schedule has been tweaked compared to 2019: in March, he will take on Strade Bianche, Tirreno Adriatico, and Catalunya, ruling out the Amstel Gold Race. This is part of his plan to stay fresh for his return to the Giro d'Italia, where he took a stage win in his debut race in 2018.

"I can't compete in Amstel. I'll run the classics and then the Giro - that's my goal too. Right now I'm focused on winning stages. I'll prepare as much as possible and see what happens in Italy."

"There are a lot of options for that. There are some hard mountain stages, a possible breakaway, and three time trials. Plus there are short kickers at the end of some stages.