Depends - I assume Geox are doing Burgos, which is the main Vuelta warmup race, but if they aren't, then they could send the big guns to Portugal. Lampre usually send most of their Vuelta team, but they use it solely as a warmup race.
Good for Acqua e Sapone.
Colour me MASSIVELY disappointed in the parcours to Senhora da Graça.
That's awful. No Alvão, no Campanhõ. In previous years there's always been a proper major climb before it which has broken things up - last year Hernâni Broco went with a teammate on Campanhõ which allowed him to be in the élite bunch for positioning (along with Rui Sousa) on Senhora da Graça, which freed him from a lot of the André Cardoso-inflicted pain.
For comparison - 2009's stage to Mondim de Basto:
and 2010's:
Stage 2 to Santo Tirso looks decent but I've always wondered why they don't do a couple of loops of Monte Assunção, it would be perfectly feasible and make the finish a bit tougher - 2009's stage there was pretty exciting with the GC battle already heated up with people needing time back on Ribeiro and Cabreira, but last year's was a bit of much ado about nothing.
I like that they're doing Torre from Seia again, that's the best side. And they're doing most of the other side with Penhas da Saúde anyway - which makes Penhas Douradas much better and tougher too, rather than the waste that is just going over it without Penhas da Saúde.
I'd probably have preferred them going in the opposite direction, however, climbing up to Penhas Douradas from Seia (easy but long), then up to Piornos, down to Covilhã, allowing them to do the other side of Alto Teixeira (long, flattish, Aprica-like), then the Alto do Carrazedo (10,0km, 6,2%) before Torre from Seia. Either way, the obvious queen stage.
The final weekend, which used to have the big MTF and the ITT, is now absolutely dreadful. Two stages which will have no GC impact whatsoever, and I hate them going "hey let's have a sprint in the capital". Cos that's so not totally played out. Give us back our 35km ITTs in Viséu and have the penultimate stage up São Macário. Give us a proper climb before Senhora da Graça. If we're going to finish in Lisbon then give us a penultimate stage up the Alto Montejunto.
Overall, this is a hugely disappointing route. I know that with Portuguese domestic cycling ailing and the need to invite teams, the severe difficulty of the race has been a stumbling block in getting good teams from abroad to ride, but I can't help but feel a bit let down.
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