37° Volta ao Algarve 2011 (708k) Feb 16 to 20

[DAOTEC]

37° Volta ao Algarve 2011 (708k) Feb 16 to 20

Volta ao Algarve is a lumpy-hilly race with this year's 37th edition featuring ten cat 3 climbs over the first four stages before the final day time-trial. Like last year, stage 3 is the queen stage featuring a cat 2 finish at Alto do Malhão. The action on the flats should be interesting too because the region has some of the finest beaches in Europe.
This race in the southern most province of Portugal is popular at this time of the year for its warm, dry weather. The provisional startlist hasn't been released yet, but some big names will be attending.

Website: [http://voltaalgarve.com]

Ticker: [http://jornalciclismo.com/directo]

Stages
stage 1 | Wednesday, February 16, Estádio Algarve → Albufeira 158k [MAP]
stage 2 | Thursday, February 17, Lagoa → Lagos 187k [MAP]
stage 3 | Friday, February 18, Tavira → Malhão 179k [MAP]
stage 4 | Saturday, February 19, Albufeira → Tavira 167k [MAP]
stage 5 | Sunday, February 20, Lagoa → Portimão 17k [MAP]

Teams PT(12)
AG2R, Astana, Quick-Step, HTC- Highroad, RadioShack, Leopard Trek, Omega Pharma-Lotto, Rabobank, Vacansoleil, Sky Pro Cycling, Saxo Bank-Sungard, Garmin Cervélo.

Pro Conti (5)
Topsort Vlaanderen-Mercator, UnitedHealthcare, Cofidis, Caja Rural, CCC polsat–Polkowice (José Mendes).

Continental (4)
Barbot–Efapel, C.C.Tavira, LA–Paredes Rota dos Móveis, Onda-Boavista.

Starter-list (prov.): [line-up.php/Feb2011/07Algarve2011]

Last Year

1º Alberto Contador (Astana) 19h57m48s
2º Luis León Sánchez (Caisse D'Epargne) à 30s
3º Tiago Machado (RadioShack) à 32s
4º Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack) à 37s
5º Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) à 57s
6º Rui Costa (Caisse D'Epargne) à 1:11
7º Frantisek Rabon (Team HTC-Columbia) à 1:16
8º Andreas Klöden (RadioShack) à 1:25
9º Tejay van Garderen (Team HTC-Columbia) à 1:33
10º Peter Velits (Team HTC-Columbia) à 1:45

2010 stage winners: Benoit Vaugrenard, Contador, Luis León Sánchez, André Greipel, Sebastien Rosseler.

 

[lucybears]

Starter-list (prov.): [line-up.php/Feb2011/07Algarve2011]

a few more riders listed @
http://www.cyclingfever.com/editie.html?detp=view&_ap=startlijst&editie_idd=MjE3MzY=

 

[taiwan]

Who's riding?

using cyclingfever's startlist

LLS, Kreuziger, Nicolas Roche, Peter Velits, Gilbert, Sylvain Chavanel, Daniel Navarro, Tiago Machado, Ryder Hesjadal, Andreas Kloeden...

1xMTF (don't have details, but short and steepish), 1xuphill sprint and 1x17.5km chrono.

[edit]

+ gerrens - had a few very good finishes here last year.

I was genuinely going to mention Gerrans, oops.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

using cyclingfever's startlist

LLS, Kreuziger, Nicolas Roche, Peter Velits, Gilbert, Sylvain Chavanel, Daniel Navarro, Tiago Machado, Ryder Hesjadal, Andreas Kloeden...

1xMTF (don't have details, but short and steepish), 1xuphill sprint and 1x17.5km chrono.

+ gerrens - had a few very good finishes here last year.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

should be pretty good, nice race this one. Though the uphill sprint was won by Greipel last year, it was a difficult stage in the sleet and he took 4 seconds out of Samuel Sánchez in the final 100m for the win.

Klöden's presence is a big thing, but in all honesty Tiago Machado is the more important one for Radioshack, and I'm interested to see how Nelson Oliveira goes. It could be a race for someone like LLS, Sylvain Chavanel or Tony Martin too, who can grind up the Alto do Malhão and limit their loss. I pretty much guarantee that Oleg Chuzhda and Sérgio Sousa will go off the front in at least one stage, and I am also quite keen to see what Hernâni Broco, Ricardo Mestre, André Cardoso and Daniel Silva can do for the national teams, especially Cardoso now that he's been let off the leash of domestiquing for David Blanco. Also want to see how José João Mendes is getting on over in Poland.

 

[Anonymous]

Stages
stage 1 | Wednesday, February 16, Estádio Algarve → Albufeira 158k [PROFILE]
stage 2 | Thursday, February 17, Lagoa → Lagos 187k [PROFILE]
stage 3 | Friday, February 18, Tavira → Malhão 179k [PROFILE]
stage 4 | Saturday, February 19, Albufeira → Tavira 167k [PROFILE]
stage 5 | Sunday, February 20, Lagoa → Portimão 17k [PROFILE]

Route Maps

Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5

 

[Christian]

LEOPARD TREK for Volta ao Algarve:

Brice Feillu
Bruno Pires
Fabian Wegmann
Linus Gerdemann
Martin Mortensen
Oliver Zaugg
Robert Wagner
Will Clarke

http://www.leopardtrek.lu/calendar/volta-ao-algarve

 

[lucybears]

some 'starters for 10' for DAOTEC, with links to
routes, teams & riders, history, official websites etc.

19-02 Trofeo Laigueglia
http://calendar.cyclingfever.com/index.html?_p=wedstrijdinfo&sw_i=z&jaar=2011&maand=02&id=21737

20-02 24-02 Vuelta a Andalucia - Ruta Ciclista Del Sol
http://calendar.cyclingfever.com/index.html?_p=wedstrijdinfo&sw_i=z&jaar=2011&maand=02&id=21738

22-02 26-02 Giro di Sardegna
http://calendar.cyclingfever.com/index.html?_p=wedstrijdinfo&sw_i=z&jaar=2011&maand=02&id=21739

 

[taiwan]

LEOPARD TREK for Volta ao Algarve:

Brice Feillu
Bruno Pires
Fabian Wegmann
Linus Gerdemann
Martin Mortensen
Oliver Zaugg
Robert Wagner
Will Clarke

http://www.leopardtrek.lu/calendar/volta-ao-algarve

Such a race might suit Linus Gerdemann's characteristics, but I wouldn't hold out huge gopes for him yet...

 

[Kvinto]

I think Machado is the main favourite. Guys like Lulu or Kreuziger will surely be close, but unlike Tiago they are preparing for PN. I'm also curious about Serguei Lagutin and Bruno Pires
Update: As for Alto Malhao, i am not 100% sure, but in Volta ao Algarve 2010 I read the text live of an analogous stage, where this mountain was described as 2.7km, average 8,8%... wonder how I memorized this

 

[Parrulo]

i am like libertine. i want to see what oliveira and the other portuguese guys on smallers teams can do. mostly cardoso. the favorites are prolly guys like lulu and martin.

i think machado will lead RS during the giro so i hope to see him do well there. with his attacking riding style he will sure make the giro even better.

 

[mewmewmew13]

I'm a bit behind this season but wondering how LLS's form is doing at this point. He's fun to watch when he's having a go up the climbs....
cheers

 

[taiwan]

I'm a bit behind this season but wondering how LLS's form is doing at this point. He's fun to watch when he's having a go up the climbs....
cheers

I think the Challenge Mallorca races were the first on his calendar (could be wrong). He definitely didn't show anything there. If he's targetting Paris-Nice again, he'll need to be quite active in Algarve to find the form, I guess.

 

[Christian]

Such a race might suit Linus Gerdemann's characteristics, but I wouldn't hold out huge gopes for him yet...

He's supposed to be in pretty good shape, he did a lot of training with Maxime Monfort over the winter in the south of France. His Mallorca results were solid but nothing extraordinary.

I'm also curious about Serguei Lagutin and Bruno Pires

He is a bit of a dark horse, do you know more about him? Apparently he won a stage in the Volta ao Alentejo last year

 

[Libertine Seguros]

He is a bit of a dark horse, do you know more about him? Apparently he won a stage in the Volta ao Alentejo last year

Bruno joining Leopard was a bit of a headscratcher. He's shown very little of late. He was 11th in the 2009 Volta a Portugal, but that's about it; all of his most worthwhile results came from 2006 (when he won the nationals) to 2008, where he rode with the enormously suspicious LA-MSS team. His biggest result in a stage race is 3rd in the infamous 2008 Vuelta a Asturias, behind two teammates. The last couple of years he's languished somewhat as the second-in-command to David Bernabéu in a team that also has breakaway specialists and versatile sprinter/uphill sprint/small group attack men like Rui Sousa and Sérgio Ribeiro.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I think the Challenge Mallorca races were the first on his calendar (could be wrong). He definitely didn't show anything there. If he's targetting Paris-Nice again, he'll need to be quite active in Algarve to find the form, I guess.

yeah i remember reading rabo were going to work for LLS in one of the mountain stages @ mallorca, but didn't have the legs and langeveld had a go.
still with algarve he should pick up some more form.

 

[craig1985]

I think Greipel and Gilberrt will do well in this race.

 

[Kvinto]

He is a bit of a dark horse, do you know more about him? Apparently he won a stage in the Volta ao Alentejo last year

Well, I was expecting the strong ride of him in the last year's edition, mainly because of his 4th place on the Alto Malhao in 2009 (just behind Colom, Contador and Plaza), but he was disappointing. As it was said before his best results were gained between 2006 and 2008.
In 2011 he started his season early at Down Under and then Mallorca, now he starts Algarve. I don't think the Leopard team will work for Gerdemann, even more: looking at Linus's 2010 performance (by the way he had much better Challange Mallorca last year) he is not the man to work for at all. But Bruno has to prove his worth at the Leopard team and imo it's hard to find the better chance.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Hopefully B Felliu and Cardoso can do the job for me in this race!

 

[theyoungest]

yeah i remember reading rabo were going to work for LLS in one of the mountain stages @ mallorca, but didn't have the legs and langeveld had a go.
still with algarve he should pick up some more form.

He did have the legs, he just decided not to go with the Hermans-Tondo-Duran move, thinking it would be brought back (at least that's what he said). I think his form is fine.

 

[Bob House]

ASTANA
1 Roman Kreuziger
2 Allan Davis
3 Dmitriy Fofonov
4 Maxim Gourov
5 Andriy Grivko
6 Evgeni Petrov
7 Sergey Renev
8 Simon Clarke

SAXO BANK-SUNGARD
11 Juan José Haedo
12 Matteo Tossato
13 Michael Morkov
14 Brian Vandborg
15 Daniel Navarro
16 Baden Cooke
17 Jesus Hernandez
18 Gustav Larsson

RABOBANK
21 Luis León Sanchez
22 Laurens Ten Dam
23 Jos Van Emden
24 Steven Kruijswijk
25 Michael Matthews
26 Bauke Mollema
27 Tom Jelte Slagter
28 Coen Vermeltfoort

HTC-HIGHROAD
31 Lars Bak
32 John Degenkolb
33 Bert Grabsch
34 Leigh Howard
35 Tony Martin
36 Frantisek Rabon
37 Tejay Van Garderen
38 Peter Velits

GARMIN-CERVÉLO
41 Tom Danielson
42 Tyler Farrar
43 Murillo Fischer
44 Ryder Hesjedal
45 Martijn Maaskant
46 David Millar
47 Christian Vande Velde
48 David Zabriskie

OMEGA PHARMA-LOTTO
51 André Greipel
52 Philippe Gilbert
53 Jurgen Roelandts
54 Frederik Willems
55 Marcel Sieberg
56 Adam Hansen
57 Sebastian Lang
58 Jurgen Van De Walle

RADIOSHACK
61 Andreas Kloden
62 Tiago Machado
63 Sérgio Paulinho
64 Manuel Cardoso
65 Nelson Oliveira
66 Jesse Sergent
67 Grégory Rast
68 Sebastian Rosseler

SKY
71 Stephen Cummings
72 Simon Gerrans
73 Greg Henderson
74 Kjell Carlstrom
75 Dario Cioni
76 Lars Petter Nordhaug
77 Serge Pauwels
78 Morris Possoni

QUICK STEP
81 Sylvain Chavanel
82 Gerald Ciolek
83 Jérôme Pineau
84 David Malacarne
85 Francesco Reda
86 Kevin Seeldraeyers
87 Niki Terpstra
88 Kristof Vandewalle

AG2R-LA MONDIALE
91 Nicolas Roche
92 Guillaume Bonnafond
93 Maxime Bouet
94 Mikael Cherel
95 Blel Kadri
96 David Le Lay
97 Mathieu Perget
98 Anthony Ravard

VACANSOLEIL
101 Borut Bozic
102 Gorik Gardeyn
103 Marco Marcato
104 Alberto Ongarato
105 Lieuwe Westra
106 Thomas De Gendt
107 Bjon Leukemans
108 Mirko Selvaggi

LEOPARD TREK
111 Linus Genderman
112 Bruno Pires
113 Brice Feillu
114 Fabiam Wegmann
115 Oliver Zaugg
116 Rober Wagner
117 Martin Mortensen
118 William Clarke

COFIDIS
121 Julien Fouchard
122 Tony Gallopin
123 Kevyn Ista
124 Jens Keukekeire
125 Nico Sijmens
126 Rein Taaramae
127 Tristan Valentin
128 Romain Zingle

TPOSPORT VLAANDAREN
131 Jerome Baugnies
132 Sander Armee
133 Pieter Jacobs
134 Johan Coenen
135 Laurens De Vreese
136 Jarl Salomein
137 Stijn Joseph
138 Steven Van Vooren

UNITEDHEALTHCARE
141 Rory Sutherland
142 Christian Meier
143 Charles Wegelius
144 Robert Forster
145 Andrew Pinfold
146 Boy Van Poppel
147 Christopher Jones
148 Davide Frattini

CAJA RURAL
151 Jose Herrada
152 Oleg Chuzhda
153 Iñigo Cuesta
154 Joaquin Sobriño
155 Arturo Mora
156 Fabricio Ferrari
157 Victor D La Parte
158 Garikoitz Bravo

CCC POLSAT-POLKOWICE
161 Jacek Morajko
162 Tomasz Marczynski
163 José Mendes
164 Marek Rutkiewicz
165 Bartlomiej Matysiak
166 Lukasz Bodnar
167 Blazej Janiaczyk
168 Adrian Honkisz

TAVIRA-PRIO
171 André Cardoso
172 Ricardo Mestre
173 Henrique Casimiro
174 Samuel Caldeira
175 Daniel Mestre
176 Tomas Metcalfe
177 David Livramento
178 Luís Silva

BARBOT-EFAPEL
181 César Fonte
182 Daniel Freitas
183 Filipe Cardoso
184 Rui Sousa
185 Sérgio Sousa
186 Sérgio Ribeiro
187 Raul Alarcon
188 Santi Pérez

ONDA-BOAVISTA
191 Alejandro Marque
192 Delio Fernandez
193 Alberto Morrás
194 Jon Pardo
195 Bruno Lima
196 Daniel Silva
197 Bruno Borges
198 Célio Sousa

LA-ANTARTE
201 Hernâni Broco
202 Hugo Sabido
203 Edgar Pinto
204 Hugo Sancho
205 Amaro Antunes
206 Bruno Silva
207 Bruno Sancho
208 Rui Vinhas

I found this Startlist.
Someone knows,the ambitions for this season of Daniel Navarro?

 

[lucybears]

I found this Startlist.

yeah,
http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=35567

don't rely on it, for instance
AG2R-LA MONDIALE is nothing like the line up AG2R say they are sending
http://www.cyclisme.ag2rlamondiale....r-detail.asp?id=891&ret=index.asp&saison=2011

cyclingfever.com have their latest here
http://www.cyclingfever.com/editie.html?detp=view&_ap=startlijst&editie_idd=MjE3MzY=
but again, only death and taxes etc....

 

[Christian]

Bruno joining Leopard was a bit of a headscratcher. He's shown very little of late. He was 11th in the 2009 Volta a Portugal, but that's about it; all of his most worthwhile results came from 2006 (when he won the nationals) to 2008, where he rode with the enormously suspicious LA-MSS team. His biggest result in a stage race is 3rd in the infamous 2008 Vuelta a Asturias, behind two teammates. The last couple of years he's languished somewhat as the second-in-command to David Bernabéu in a team that also has breakaway specialists and versatile sprinter/uphill sprint/small group attack men like Rui Sousa and Sérgio Ribeiro.

Thanks - at first I thought it had something to do with a potential sponsor coming on from Portugal, but that wasn't the case. (I also thought they signed Zaugg, Cancellara and went to Crans Montana because of Maca Loca and that wasn't the case either). So it remains a bit of a mistery, unless Pires has been hiding his talent very well, which might be the case I guess. I feel like I remember you saying somethime that many strong riders just never leave the Portuguese scene since it has good teams and races.

Well, I was expecting the strong ride of him in the last year's edition, mainly because of his 4th place on the Alto Malhao in 2009 (just behind Colom, Contador and Plaza), but he was disappointing. As it was said before his best results were gained between 2006 and 2008.
In 2011 he started his season early at Down Under and then Mallorca, now he starts Algarve. I don't think the Leopard team will work for Gerdemann, even more: looking at Linus's 2010 performance (by the way he had much better Challange Mallorca last year) he is not the man to work for at all. But Bruno has to prove his worth at the Leopard team and imo it's hard to find the better chance.

I have to admit I don't know how Linus did in the Volta 2010, I just based my statement that he was in good shape off of statements from Monfort and F. Schleck that I read in interviews. The unofficial ranking from the LEOPARD TREK ITT up Puig Major during their training camp was apparently F. Schleck - Gerdemann - Monfort.

But I agree that you say Pires has to prove his worth and that Volta ao Algarve is a pretty good race for him to do so. We know that the Schlecks and Cancellara have 3 year contracts, Fuglsang a 2-year; but I could imagine a guy like Pires only got a 1-year contract, with maybe an option for a second year - based on how he did. At the same time, results is probably not what they are expecting from Pires, therefore "proving his worth" could just as well mean work his asz off for the team leader, whoever that might be.

UNITEDHEALTHCARE
141 Rory Sutherland
142 Christian Meier
143 Charles Wegelius
144 Robert Forster
145 Andrew Pinfold
146 Boy Van Poppel
147 Christopher Jones
148 Davide Frattini

This should be their first race on European soil, right? I'm excited to see how they'll do

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The Volta ao Algarve's warmup race and the Portuguese season-opener, the Prova de Abertura/Prémio Cidade de Loulé, is on today.

It's 145,3km long, and features two mountain passes, at just past the halfway distance. It is liable to end in a slightly reduced sprint.

It also gives us our first glimpse of some of the amateur and u23 setups of Portugal, with Liberty Seguros-Santamaría da Feira and the now-degraded-from-last-year's-Continental-set-up Louletano-Loulé Concelho e Bicicó being notable.

The first break of the day included former Xacobeo-Galicia man Delio Fernández and, surprisingly enough, Hernâni Broco, 5th in the Volta last year (2nd on the Alto da Torre, after 3rd on the Sra da Graça, the last remnant of an attack group that went on the Alto do Campanhã, over 50km from home). He had been 2nd until falling spectacularly in the final time trial, and is the leader of the LA-Antarte team, so it's surprising to see him in such a move so early in the season.

After 45km, we have Márcio Barbosa (LA-Antarte) at the head of the race, and then a group 40 seconds behind him containing Broco (LA-Antarte), César Fonte (Barbot-Efapel), Delio Fernández (Onda-Boavista) and Briton Tomas Swift-Metcalfe (Tavira-Prio)(I think he's a cousin of Ben Swift or something like that). Two u23 riders, Frederico Figueiredo (Capital Cartaxo do Vinho) and Enrique Salgueiro (Loulé) are in a chasse-patate and the péloton is at 8 minutes.

As all of the major Portuguese teams are represented in the break it could be that it goes. This race is also the first race outside the junior level for young phenom Rafael Reis.

Edit: as I write this a new update comes in to say that Delio Fernández has caught Barbosa, and the two are adding to their advantage, now 1'44" ahead of Broco, Metcalfe and Fonté. The péloton has fallen further back, now nearly 12 minutes off the pace.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Thanks - at first I thought it had something to do with a potential sponsor coming on from Portugal, but that wasn't the case. (I also thought they signed Zaugg, Cancellara and went to Crans Montana because of Maca Loca and that wasn't the case either). So it remains a bit of a mistery, unless Pires has been hiding his talent very well, which might be the case I guess. I feel like I remember you saying somethime that many strong riders just never leave the Portuguese scene since it has good teams and races.

Yea, there's a strong (though presently weakening) national scene in Portugal. However, it does come with a certain reputation (not entirely undeserved), which hasn't been helped by the last few years, where Puerto's exiles have dominated the upper echelons of races. Salaries are very good in Portugal, which has led to many Spanish racers going over there, either because they're young or unproven and go for the money, or because nobody in any bigger scene will take them. But the reputation of the scene does mean that often, the big teams simply don't look Portugal's way when looking for talents, while the active calendar and good salary mean that many of the strong riders are content to stay in their domestic niche.

Bruno Pires is an odd one because if I was going to pluck somebody out of the Portuguese scene to be a domestique for me in the mountains, he wouldn't be in the top 5. As I said, most of his best results come when riding for LA-MSS, which should be a major red flag for recruiters; it's not quite to the "look at Cobo's results for Saunier Duval, then his results for Caisse d'Epargne, what could have caused this?" level, but it's something that should send alarm bells ringing.

If I was going to pick a mountain domestique from the Portuguese scene, I would have gone to André Cardoso first of all, then the likes of Nélson Victorino, Ricardo Mestre, José João Mendes (if I could stop him trying to get in every break that has ever gone, that is), Daniel Silva and Virgilio Santos would all be on my shopping list ahead of Pires.