82nd Volta a Portugal em Bicicleta (27th of September - 5th of October)

[Libertine Seguros]

Well, at least RP is trying something, unlike Epafel.

I guess Benta is one of these Portuguese guys where they show their potential at 33 years young.

And as soon as returning from a suspension after not really being much to shout about beforehand. He's like Mirsamad Pourseyedi but without the humour. And he's just coming into his peak Volta GC years!

 

[burning]

Tbh, I am quite disappointed with this stage. We got sensible tactics from Tavira and W52, and there were no crazy full-throttle sprints unlike previous editions.

Edit: Antunes just said GTFO to me, well played.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Come on guys, this isn't Mont Aigoual, there are riders on non-Portuguese teams still in the group!

Oh, finally Antunes gives us the classic Senhora da Graça psycho pace attack.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Tbh, I am quite disappointed with this stage. We got sensible tactics from Tavira and W52, and there were no crazy full-throttle sprints unlike previous editions.

Edit: Antunes just said GTFO to me, well played.

Yeah, I want my money back!
Edit: And right as I post that a monster attack by Amaro happens.

 

[burning]

Holy hell, Antunes dropped the Tavira guy like a bad habit, at least that was fun to watch.

 

[burning]

LMAO at the sprint of Veloso too, but they lost big time to Antunes even on the climb.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yikes, João Rodrigues blew up spectacularly at the end there.

 

[carolina]

Velolso just gets better with age.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Idolo Veloso!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

LMAO at the sprint of Veloso too, but they lost big time to Antunes even on the climb.

To tell the truth, if Rodrigues' form is what it looks like, the problem was the two best climbers in the race were already off the front.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Meh, they should have invited some Russian CT-level Sputniks like Moscow Region with Igor Frolov to the race to spice things up.

 

[trevim]

I have to say that if Ineos and Jumbo used their dominance to race like W52 I would kind of appreciate them. Attacking from 40km out on the queen stage with one the best climbers instead of just setting up some boring train. Hats off!...

 

[Libertine Seguros]

...if Froome and Porte went out and did something like Alarcón and Antunes did in Guarda, the forum would have been out of action for a month.

 

[burning]

Their assault on Torre was glorious, but they could not drop Neilands for a while.

 

[trevim]

...if Froome and Porte went out and did something like Alarcón and Antunes did in Guarda, the forum would have been out of action for a month.

I thought they were attacking too soon that day and that Sporting would catch them with Nocentini taking the win

 

[RedheadDane]

CM reporting rider Nigel Ellsay (Rally) in serious condition after a crash with a warning flag commissaire.

Phew... turns out, not quite as serious as reported.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1310982519639158787

View: https://twitter.com/Rally_Cycling/status/1310982519639158787


(Dammit! I hate reading stuff like that, and then, just nothing.)

 

[MikeTichondrius]

Phew... turns out, not quite as serious as reported.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1310982519639158787

View: https://twitter.com/Rally_Cycling/status/1310982519639158787


(Dammit! I hate reading stuff like that, and then, just nothing.)

The local news report made it sound worse. Then again, CM is basically the The Sun so...Joke's on me for taking them seriously. Glad he's okay.

So the best-designed stage of the Volta is done and dusted. Sad to see the waste that are the final two road stages. I could probably work out 100 different hilly routes into Torres Vedras but they're doing a sprint stage there...The Torre stage is also a bit disappointing, but at least they're doing the Covilhã side.

 

[burning]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1311023096237830144

View: https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1311023096237830144


Looks like they were indeed slow, but I suspect that the last 3-4km of the penultimate climb was ridden very hard.

 

[Parrulo]

That's so true, it would be great if they went over Serra de Arga near Ponte de Lima or Val de Poldros with a descent finish to Melgaço. Or my personal favourite, the cobbled climb to Serra Amarela (Ermida) near Ponte da Barca...

I was born in Monção like 10km from the bottom of Vale de Podros and I can tell you it is an absolutely amazing climb.

That area is full of brutal climbs that would make a great mountain stage. A shame the Volta never really ventures around the Minho Area.

 

[carolina]

Phew... turns out, not quite as serious as reported.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1310982519639158787

View: https://twitter.com/Rally_Cycling/status/1310982519639158787


(Dammit! I hate reading stuff like that, and then, just nothing.)

It seems to be more serious according to the last update. Fractures in his face and spine. : https://sicnoticias.pt/desporto/202...mzw5A0ctCTPsEJqdRp3M1JdglSe9fZvBziEEWwGK6AqEU

 

[trevim]

I was born in Monção like 10km from the bottom of Vale de Podros and I can tell you it is an absolutely amazing climb.

That area is full of brutal climbs that would make a great mountain stage. A shame the Volta never really ventures around the Minho Area.

I've climbed it from Monção and I found it rather brutal, the average slope of 8% is a bit misleading since it's very irregular or at least I found it very hard to pace myself there.

 

[Mayomaniac]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1311023096237830144

View: https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1311023096237830144


Looks like they were indeed slow, but I suspect that the last 3-4km of the penultimate climb was ridden very hard.

According to the same source Amaro climbed it in 22:40.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1311023096237830144

One has to consider that he already attacked with 38km to go, that's still a really strong performance.
Still, when Figueiredo dropped him on the penultimate climb I wouldn't have guessed that he'd finish ahead of him in the end.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yea, but we're used to that kind of showing from the break being done by Filipe Cardoso...

Edit: apparently his time was 25'07. Could have sworn he lost less to the camisola amarela group than that.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Lazkano really suffering on these uncategorised ramps. A few of which really ought to have been categorised. Should be safe from here, the group behind isn't too worried about the sprint it seems, since it's really been trimmed heavily by the climbing. This one really had the potential to be a banana skin, and certainly not a sprinters' stage as the ones into Viseu often tend to end up being.

Quite a bit of interest in that group of poursuivants. Two from Burgos-BH, two from Delko just rode across to join it. Sérgio Martín monitoring for Caja Rural, but now a split in the bunch behind gives extra impetus, Lazkano could really see his gap tumble in this last few kilometres. Suddenly it doesn't seem so cut and dried...

 

[burning]

To be honest, I am not sure he is safe yet, he lost ~30 seconds in the last 4-5 kilometers, which were mostly downhill/flat.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Now Veloso attacked, Brandao and De Mateos followed him, W52 chasing behind.