Cofidis sprinter Elia Viviani heads to the Volta Ao Algarve this week looking for his first win of the 2020 season. The race takes place on the south coast of Portugal, with the coastal town of Lagos on stage 1 and Tavira to the east on stage 3.

Viviani, whose best results in 2020 include fourth on stage 1 of the Tour Down Under and third on stage 3 of last weekend's Clasica de Almeria, will be joined by Fabio Jacobsen (Detunink-Quickstep), Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates), Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin Phoenix) and others face competition.

But despite his reputation as the fastest sprinter on the start list, the European champion still has to contend with an unfinished lead-out train. Being involved in a pile-up on the second day of racing at this year's event did not help the situation in Australia.

"So far so good," Viviani told Cycling News at the start of the first stage in Portimão.

"I didn't have a very lucky start in Australia, but I'm building my lead and building my team.

"I think we're doing okay. We are here to get our first win of the season. We have two chances this week, including today. We're in good shape and it's an important week for the Classic, so I'm pretty optimistic."

Viviani's lead-out train in the Algarve includes two compatriots who joined the move to Cofidis in the off-season, Fabio Sabatini (of Deceuninck Quickstep) and Simone Conssoni (of UAE Team Emirates).

The trio has teamed up for eight days of racing so far, with Sabatini also joining Viviani in Almeria. Sabatini's relationship with Viviani dates back to their time together in Liquigas, where they were teammates for the past two seasons at Dečuninck-Quick Step, where they were integral to Viviani's 28 wins in two seasons. However, Consonni is a newcomer to Viviani.

"With Saba, sure. It's the same player as the last two years, so everything works with him," Viviani said. 'It's not easy for him to jump from a sprint to a leadout. It's like asking me to do the lead-out. He's very strong.

"He's a sprinter and he does lead-outs for me. But I know his value and he is behind a lot of my wins."

Viviani is set to take part in the full Classics campaign to the Tour of Flanders this year, and after Tirreno-Adriatico next month comes Milan-San Remo, his first big target for 2020.

Plan A will be to grab an important first win in the Algarve, as evidenced by the new tattoo on Viviani's right forearm.