73ª Volta a Portugal 2.1 04/08 - 15/08

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Ribiero beats Gavazzi.

 

[canyonball]

Ségio Ribeiro takes it!!! Francesco Gavazzi takes second. Beautiful...

 

[Parrulo]

great win for ribeiro and a perfect lead out from filipe cardoso

antonio carvalho from the u23 portuguese team takes third!!!!!!

 

[canyonball]

Sérgio Ribeiro gets ten seconds of bonification for the victory which means he has the same time of Hugo Sabido. Don't know if the comissaires will give time cuts on the peloton.

So rigth now we're waiting to know who gets the yellow jersey.

I'm so happy for Ribeiro. I hope he can replicate his last year's performance on tomorrow's stage. Oh, and if Manuel Cardoso is on a Pro-Tour team, I don't see how this guy isn't. He deserves to compete in a world class field.

Edit: According to RTP, Sergio Ribeiro gets the stage and the yellow jersey with the same time on Hugo Sabido.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Ribeiro is quality and perhaps deserves a chance but his suspension probably counts against him.

As mentioned before - many people simply don't look Portuguese cycling's way because of its reputation. Cardoso got onto Footon thanks to his national champions' jersey and coming cheap because of Liberty Seguros' collapse - a couple of good early season performances meant he's well-remembered, and with Azevedo DSing at the Shack they picked up most of the Portuguese talent already at the top tier.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I never understand why so many Portuguese good riders get stuck in Portuguese teams and never get bought by WT teams/PCT teams

 

[canyonball]

@ Libertine: He took full responsibility for that. Which is more than many of the infractors can say. But it's always unfruitful to discuss this things. There are double standards. There will always be. And as fans of the sport we have to deal with it.

But I agree with your acessment completely.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

A lot of them simply aren't trusted because of Portuguese cycling's bad rep. A lot of teams have enough feeders and teams to spot without looking that way. A lot of them have been trapped as domestiques for strong riders who are persona non grata in the péloton, and historically the tendency of Portuguese cycling to pay more than many other scenes has meant that a lot of riders haven't really wanted to relocate. The salaries are also why a lot of young Spanish riders have plied their trades in Portugal - Mosquera, Tondó, Arroyo, Pereiro, Horrach, Jufre, Bernabéu and others have spent time in Portugal (Bernabéu of course returned after Puerto) early in their career. For many riders, at least traditionally, unless the team they're going to is a top team, the riders may be reluctant to take the cut in pay or move away from home unless the increase is significant enough to justify it.

 

[Rui Quinta]

The tiebreak must be by centisecond. Centisecond just are counted at time trials (like yesterday) but the prologue classification didn't have it So, it's a big fail.

The responsable for classification is Fullsport, a Carlos Pereira's company. Carlos Pereira is Barbot team manager, and Sérgio Ribeiro ride for Barbot

 

[canyonball]

yeah. I always thought that if Ribeiro won, Sabido would still be ahead. But since you say there was not enough acuracy on the prologue cronometer, isn't it possible they used the remaining criteria?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

In which case it comes to combined placings.

Ribeiro was 15th yesterday + 1st today = combined placings of 16.
Sabido was 1st yesterday so if he wasn't in the top 15, he loses the jersey to Ribeiro on placings.

The same thing is why Rodríguez and Klöden kept exchanging the leaders' jersey at País Vasco.

 

[Rui Quinta]

In which case it comes to combined placings.

Ribeiro was 15th yesterday + 1st today = combined placings of 16.
Sabido was 1st yesterday so if he wasn't in the top 15, he loses the jersey to Ribeiro on placings.

The same thing is why Rodríguez and Klöden kept exchanging the leaders' jersey at País Vasco.

With time trial, the rules are different

 

[canyonball]

So what are the rules?

I understand that the first criteria would be to decide on the centi-second recorded during the prologue. But the fact is there was no way the comissaires could do that, given Fullsport didn't provide with that time accuracy. So we must go on to the second criteria. What would that be then?

Regarding the conflit of interests. Well, we can assume fullsport didn't provide with centiseconds because:1) their equipment didn't have enough accuracy; 2) they made a mistake; 3) They deliberatily forgot, knowing Ribeiro would probabily win today's stage and, therefore, the bonification. Take your pick.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

With time trial, the rules are different

I know, but if they weren't able to split them, due to an inaccuracy of the stopclock or whatever, then the next method is countback.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Full results here
http://classificacoes.net/download/...tapa_73_volta_a_portugal_jogos_santa_casa.pdf

 

[Sem Travões]

Doing a lot of zaping, watching the Volta, but on the other side some of the best Portuguese riders are in Poland, so always changing channels.
Could notice the very diferent weather

 

[Mellow Velo]

Watched it all last night.
Ribeiro got all his lines right, Gavazzi got them wrong.

 

[canyonball]

Ok, I have to much time in my hands today and so decided to make this post. It’s not all about racing, but one of the things I like when watching a competition is absorb the surronding scenery and cultural patrimony. If you’re not interested, please move on. If it is off-topic, please delete.

So today riders face Stage 2 connecting Oliveira de Azemeis to Santo Tirso. Five category climbs over 184,4 km. Although the fun should really start at Santo Tirso. Profile here

Santo Tirso is a small city on the outskirts of Porto and is part of the virtual district of Vale do Ave. Like many others cities in the region, its economy depends on the secondary industry, namely the textile one. Because of the flood of import products at low prices coming from east, this industry has taken a toll, sending many to unemployment and aggravating poverty. So Santo Tirso is now in transition, trying to take that leap into XXI century by attracting R & D companies and, at the same time, creating infra-structures that can make the city a happy place for its citizens. Having visited the city multiple times over the years, I must say this effort starts showing.

1-Paços dos Concelho

2-City Park, right next to Mosteiro de São Bento (also worth a visit)

3-Rio Ave

4-For something different, PT call center, by Aires Mateus

 

[canyonball]

When in Santo Tirso, riders who look up will be prized with a view of what's ahead of them: Montte da Nossa Senhora da Assunção. If memory serves me right this climb was first introduced on the 2007 edition. The organizers must have enjoyed the reception within media and fans, as it featured on the Volta ever since.

http://upimagens.com/images/13414182776279261280.jpg

I wish I could tell you for sure this is the profile. But in fact it is the only one I could find. It shows 5,4 km at 7,2 %, although I've seen diferent figures on other sources. Anyway, It kind of reflects my idea when I drove it by car. Some steep sections along the way, although they don't last for long; a lot of oportunites for riders to cool down as the slope gets soft at times.

So it's not a hard climb. The winner tends to be decided within seconds. Last year, Marco Marzano's dream went up in smokes a few hundred meters from the finish line, as Sergio Ribeiro blasted in impressive fashion to take the win. He will hope to do it again on today's stage and I think he might. There's a lot of Volta still ahead and although the big favourites want to yell "present", I doubt they will pull some trick on the competition. Just like last year, Assunção comes on the third day. Here's the video
____________________________

Once the race is done you can relax and enjoy the view. Rio Leça comes to life on the slopes of this Mountain and yet at the top you can spot its end at Porto de Leixões, Matosinhos. There's also a beautiful sanctuary built in 1934 by Ernesto Korrodi, a noteful arquitech with a vast work spread over the country. It's a great area to explore, as it can provide with some great scenery and photos.

1- Santuário Da Nossa Sra. da Assunção

2- The surroundings

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Here's the profile of the final climb for those that want it:

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

That's...irregular and steep

 

[goggalor]

Dekker should be good for this one after taking it easy in the prologue.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Go Lachlan Morton tho I shouldn't be expecting too much!

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

i highly doubt dekker will feature.
he is welcome to surprise me tho.

 

[jens_attacks]

thomas for a top 10 in this stage.rui sousa for the win