Before the 2017 season started, Logan Owen (Axeon Hagens Berman) told Cyclingnews he was on a mission to land a WorldTour contract by the end of what will be his final year in the under-23 ranks. The 2016 U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner took his first step toward achieving that goal Saturday in Portugal during stage 4 of the Volta ao Alentejo, his team's first race of the season.
Owen outkicked race leader Carlos Barbero (Movistar) for the win at the end of a difficult 175.2-km stage that finished with a fast downhill run into the town of Alcácer do Sal and then a final punchy climb over the last kilometre.
"I wasn't expecting to win this early, but it's a good start to the season and hopefully we can build off of it," Owen told Cyclingnews Monday by phone from Portugal. "It's definitely a good way to start the year. It relieves myself of some pressure because I got another good win."
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Owen relied on his teammates to keep him relaxed and out of trouble during the stage before they went to front and pulled back a breakaway that had survived dangerously late into the day.
Rally Cycling's Rob Britton and Evan Huffman were in the all-day breakaway with two other riders, putting serious pressure on the Movistar-led chase. The Rally pair eventually dropped their breakaway companions and stretched the field even further, holding off the chase until just two kilometres remained.
"They stayed away for awhile, and we decided to go to the front because it was looking like it was going to be close coming back together," Owen said. "Movistar was a little bit tired and we didn't really know if they could bring it back, so the boys went flat out and brought it back just before we got to the town."
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