82nd Volta a Portugal em Bicicleta Santander (August 4-15)

[carolina]

Mauricio Moreira got two 20 second penalties today for illegal feedings.

 

[Froome]

Why does Portugese commentary sound like a Spanish guy imitating a Russian.

Ah ah i never tought that so many people outside of Portugal see our stratospheric volta a Portugal.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Don't tell that to my cousin's Brazilian wife...

Pronunciation between Brazilian and Portuguese Portuguese differs massively, though. The huge amounts of palatalized finals in Portuguese Portuguese probably explains the comparison.

Portuguese commentators can't tell the difference between Puerto Rico and Costa Rica

Carlton Kirby called Abner the Peruvian national champion earlier in the year.

Efapel are clueless, use Carvalho as a domestique since the other 2 are clearly stronger.
Put me and my cousin as a translator in the teamcar and they'll do better...
That said, W52 is also messing up atm.

Efapel are the gold standard of Volta tactics. They've managed to lose GCs when they had five potential leaders and were as strong as, like, 2009 Liberty Seguros.

76kg Moreira riding down attacks by Rodrigues and Antunes would be pretty wild in any other race. At the Volta it's just another day at work.

A shame really, I liked Moreira, and his dad is basically the entire essence of the sport in Uruguay. Those illegal feeds are at least an explanation to some extent, but this is definitely Volta-tastic.

Candido Barbosa is an almost mythical creature, so it's hard to compare a normal human being to him.

Marque now leads the gc, 51sec ahead of Moreira. Efapel and W52 should be able to drop him on the less tactical ascents, but his teammate Veloso sits 4th on the gc, only 18 sec behind Moreira and is also a good TTer. He can be used to cover attacks, if W52 and Efapel manage to play the numbers games.

It would be the most Volta thing ever if Marque and Veloso were the ones to end theW52/Porto streak.

Well, now Moreira has been punished by the illegal feeds, we now have Marque and GCV 1-2 on the GC, two 40-year-old Spanish exiles, so this is the most Volta thing there could be. The rouleur turned climber should have been Oyarzún and João Benta needed a better day for peak Volta though. Abner González has no place in this GC, being a young and promising rider.

The poster to whom you responded mentioning Cândido at Torre has clearly forgotten his most ridiculous Torre performance, 2007 when he was third. That was pretty extraterrestrial especially given the stronger field back then, this 80kg sprinter outclimbing Pozzovivo, Pecharromán, Azevedo, Sevilla, Blanco, Ribeiro and Dan Martin...

 

[MnR]

The poster to whom you responded mentioning Cândido at Torre has clearly forgotten his most ridiculous Torre performance, 2007 when he was third. That was pretty extraterrestrial especially given the stronger field back then, this 80kg sprinter outclimbing Pozzovivo, Pecharromán, Azevedo, Sevilla, Blanco, Ribeiro and Dan Martin...

I remeber that Barbosa had an amazing performance in Torre, but i miss by one year in my PCS research.

Even with the illegal feeding, Moreira climbing was realy suprising.

If Abner can keep this level, the youth jersey is find. (and probably a good news for Movistar)

The way GC are, will be amazing to see W52 and Efapel making that tatical moves in every stage , and the two "oldies" slow pacing them down.

 

[Mayomaniac]

In the end entering the breakaway payed off for Luis Gomes. Last year he was always up there on the hilly stages and the TTs, he only lost time on the 2 big mountain stages. If he can recover after that effort and won't loose a ton of time today he has made a big step when it comes to finishing top 10 on the gc.
Speaking of today, the stage looks like a potential ambush stage:

 

[Tank Engine]

That was junior racing style. I think partly that is the nature of the Volta. Secondly, the eternal rivalry between W52 and Efapel. Thirdly, with Torre coming so early in the race, the GC was completely open and no-one wanted to sacrifice their chances, even if they were on a slightly off day.

This sets up the race beautifully.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Caja Rural out en masse due to Covid. Mostly a shame as would have been good to see what Jhoján García has after his being 4th in Turkey and Hungary.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Pronunciation between Brazilian and Portuguese Portuguese differs massively, though. The huge amounts of palatalized finals in Portuguese Portuguese probably explains the comparison.

Yeah, I know a Girl who's half East German, half Angolan and she has a really hard time understanding Brazilian Portugese, but Pirtugese Portugese is fine.

 

[trevim]

Amaro and Frederico again just like last years stage to Sra da Graça

 

[Netserk]

Damn, I'm late to the party. The war continues today.

(RTP International is working just fine: https://www.rtp.pt/play/direto/rtpinternacional)

 

[trevim]

Tavira looks slightly weak but Efapel is not helping, sad to say Frederico more and more looks like a great wheelsucker

 

[Netserk]

Recap of the GC before the stage today:

 

[trevim]

Figueiredo goes off the front just to take KOM points and now back to wheelsucker mode

Quite amazing they manage to wheelsuck Porto all day in the break and now also in this move

 

[Netserk]

Antunes and Figueiredo have about a minute advantage at the top of the climb with 30 km to go.

 

[trevim]

Tavira now only has Veloso and marque

 

[afpm90]

I really don't understand Efapel tactics. Why doesn't Frederico collaborate to distance Marque, who is a really good time trialist?

 

[Netserk]

Mechanical for Marque!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I really don't understand Efapel tactics. Why doesn't Frederico collaborate to distance Marque, who is a really good time trialist?

Efapel? Tactics? What is this of which you speak?

 

[afpm90]

Marque back in the bunch.

 

[Netserk]

The mechanical has meant that the gap increased by 40-50'', really critical.

Now we just need Antunes and Figueiredo to throw the advantage away.

 

[trevim]

I really don't understand Efapel tactics. Why doesn't Frederico collaborate to distance Marque, who is a really good time trialist?

They have been idiots for years now, at least they haven’t chased themselves down….yet

 

[afpm90]

Efapel? Tactics? What is this of which you speak?

I think it has become worse since the son of Carlos Pereira took over the management of the team.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I always think of Efapel as being the cycling equivalent of that old Enzo Ferrari quote about all the garagistas, that "aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines". Tactics are for people who can't put out the wattage.

 

[trevim]

I think it has become worse since the son of Carlos Pereira took over the management of the team.

Haven’t really noticed much difference…

 

[Netserk]

They are now on the shallow, penultimate climb. The race situation has been static since the mechanical of Marque with Antunes leading the front duo and Veloso pulling the bunch. The gap has decreased ever so slightly, now at 1'45'' with 15 km to go.