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

[Mayomaniac]

Freitas doesn't seem to have his 2020 climbing legs, today he was outclimbed by Reis and on the Torre stage that was raced really tactical on the 2nd part of the climb he finished almost 3 and a half min behind Marque. If they go hard on the 2 MTFs before the final TT they should get rid of him.

Some weakness shown by Rodrigues while Carvalho seems to be improving, maybe Torre was just a bad day.

 

[trevim]

I mean what was the trouble with Efapel tactics yesterday?

This succession of posts was pretty funny:













And suddenly, when any reasonable reader would have assumed Efapel was on the verge of forfeiting the race, reality briefly seeps in:



Not only they won the stage, but they also got their strongest rider back in contention (after being 1:00 and 40 seconds down to two exponentially stronger time trialists) and have now 2 men in the top-5.

And they achieved all this by basically following wheels and not doing much work at all themselves.

Stepping up the pace on the approach to the cobbled climb in Guarda isn't "chasing their own team" - it's preparing the attack from Mauricio Moreira, who is a much stronger puncheur than Marque and the W52 guys. And it worked just fine - he put 22 seconds on Marque and 16 on Rodigues.

Cutting some margin to the leading duo was a good thing - it'll always be extremely difficult for Figueiredo to come ahead in a mano-a-mano with Antunes when there's a sizable TT at the end and he's already down 25 seconds. Having Moreira lurking - even though I personally believe he'll struggle in the Barreiro+Senhora da Graça stage if not before - is their best chance of getting something, they need some uncertainty and high variance.

So they needed to play on two boards: having the front duo have enough of a gap to force the Tavira guys to go all in and at least eliminate Veloso; but not to the point of turning the race a 1v1 Antunes-Figueiredo. Plus, of course, the stage victory. They thicked all three boxes and somehow people think that's bad tactics?

Even though they apparently had radio problems, it worked rather well to have Figueiredo just following Antunes' wheel, then helping out when Mas came to the front of the peloton between the climbs and dramatically cut the gap. And then trying to implode the group and make it unpleasant to Marque when the last climb started.

Nothing decisive; however in road cycling it's often the case the best tactics are the ones you don't commit to. Just make gradual gains and live to fight another stage. That's what they did... while also winning a stage. Considering they're facing a super-team that in years past has cannibalized the entire race, it's nothing to snigger about.

Nothing wrong whatsoever with their tactics.

Libertine put it very eloquently but basically they could be dealing with Amaro Antunes in a 2 man race but instead they kept Marque close by and guys like Rodrigues or Brandao with a long shot too.
Also this should also be viewed in context, they have a long record of doing this sort of thing.
In any case, it’s a general feature of Portuguese teams for years now. From the Volta record winner:

David Blanco critica luta de egos na Volta: «Na etapa da Torre ri-me muito»

Recordista de vitórias na prova visa ciclistas da W52-FC Porto e Efapel

www.google.com

 

[Armchair cyclist]

I was a bit late to notice the full, sponsored name of this race, so apologies, but to anyone in or near London, 'Bicicleta Santander" can only mean this:

https://imgur.com/CdyVxRx

View: https://imgur.com/CdyVxRx


I haven't watched any of it: please tell me that they all have to ride these...

 

[afpm90]

Radio Popular Boavista has abandoned the race due to Covid-19, Luís Fernandes has tested positive.

 

[afpm90]

Clearly the safety measures are not working. I'm starting to think that the race will not end.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Breakaway taking this one again, Tavira clearly didn't want the camisola amarela yesterday, and they clearly have little interest in expending more energy than they have to, and neither W52 nor Efapel are interested in trying to push them to either, the former taking up the pacing duties but only when they're 10 minutes down on the escapees. Alba not having a good time in the break for Movistar. Ben King looking to take a solo win, with a tricky finale, and Tom Wirtgen and Alistair McKellar chasing him down after Alba's counterattack backfired.

 

[RedheadDane]

Clearly the safety measures are not working. I'm starting to think that the race will not end.

I suspect it's more likely to end sooner than expected, than not at all.
They'll just continue... forever!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Obviously it's a huge caveat, but if he isn't glowing in the dark (and riding the Volta a Portugal in those Efapel jerseys makes him as glow-in-the-dark as it's humanly possible for a cyclist to be), Mauricio Moreira in his 2021 vintage is exactly the kind of rider Movistar could do with, they've lost a lot of riders who would fit in that kind of role, and with their pickups of people from obscure scenes such as Victor de la Parte (and, briefly, Alejandro Marque) before they've shown they're willing to go dumpster diving for scenes and riders that teams aren't really looking at. He could slot in the kind of lower slopes role that Eduardo Sepúlveda did and if they're really lucky they'd get a kind of bargain bucket version of the role Castroviejo, Rubén Plaza or Andrey Amador did for them.

Moreira having a bit of a square-up with Joni Brandão at the finish there after stealing a couple more seconds. Don't do it, Joni, he's twice your size!

 

[Mayomaniac]

De la Parte wasn't signed when he was riding in Portugal or for Team Vorarlberg and still glowing in the dark, they only signed him after his decent showings at CCC, with all the standarts a regulations that come with riding at PCT level.
I'm more surprised that Reis wasn't picked up by a foreign team right after the junior ranks like Almeida, he was one of the best Junior riders in the world back in 2010.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Did Brandao almost get into a fight with his former teammates after the finish?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

De la Parte wasn't signed when he was riding in Portugal or for Team Vorarlberg and still glowing in the dark, they only signed him after his decent showings at CCC, with all the standarts a regulations that come with riding at PCT level.
I'm more surprised that Reis wasn't picked up by a foreign team right after the junior ranks like Almeida, he was one of the best Junior riders in the world back in 2010.

True, I'd forgotten he had two stints at CCC so had thought he'd been picked up direct out of nowhere. Recently Movistar's gambling has been more based on end-of-career flyers on established but aging WT riders, and people who have made it via circuitous routes, like Edu Prades, have established themselves in the European pro péloton before Movistar step in. The nearest thing to recent dumpster diving is probably therefore Albert Torres, whose road career is a whole load of nothing, but they'll have had a comfortable handle on his level since he's a long-established world class endurance track rider, so it's not really different to them signing Eloy Teruel for 2012 (plus they already signed his long-running track partner, Sebastián Mora, who is far more proven on the road).

 

[Ulfhednar]

Impressed with Rally and their second stage with Ben King. Always a fan of King and his style of riding!

 

[Ricco']

Did Brandao almost get into a fight with his former teammates after the finish?

From what I know, he wasn't a very loved leader at Efapel from his teammates, to say the least.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

From what I know, he wasn't a very loved leader at Efapel from his teammates, to say the least.

What happened, did he try to apply logic?

 

[Mayomaniac]

From what I know, he wasn't a very loved leader at Efapel from his teammates, to say the least.

Interesting, at Sporting-Tavira there never really seemed to be bad blood between him and his teammates, maybe he was just not a good fit for Efapel (or tthe othr way around)?
The way Moreira is riding away from everyone reminds me of Balacon or Veloso in his "prime".

 

[Ricco']

I don't have very deep knowledge about the portuguese scene as I like to switch my attention to more mundane things, to put it in terms allowed in this subforum, but from what I've heard some times Joni is believed to be something of a self-centered rider and not the biggest team player.

I believe that there's a lot of bad blood between him and António Carvalho (the Efapel rider who blocked him on today's stage) from past times and, from what I've read, today Carvalho posted two Instagram stories with some indirect remarks to Joni after the stage (I don't follow neither one of them and Carvalho's instagram is private so I cannot know for sure, just what I read on some groups).

 

[carolina]

António Carvalho is known for making inflamatory facebook/instagram posts about other riders, specially Joni. If I remember correctly, even last year when they were teammates, Carvalho made some stupid remarks about Joni. I guess he didn't (and still doesn't) like to work for others.

 

[jfazendeiro]

Interesting, at Sporting-Tavira there never really seemed to be bad blood between him and his teammates, maybe he was just not a good fit for Efapel (or tthe othr way around)?
The way Moreira is riding away from everyone reminds me of Balacon or Veloso in his "prime".

Moreira is really suspicious. The only one able to create gaps without tactical plays. The TV commentator said it was the first time he showed this climbing level.

 

[Ricco']

António Carvalho to the RTP microphones about Joni. This is going to catch fire.

"He didn't even managed to pass me [on the final sprint] and I was pulling for 700m and since he didn't like it he must have some fetish with me, he should have with his wife, but he must have some fetish with me and he decided to give me a head butt. I'm not going to talk about the rest, luckily I have a good helmet because he may have pierced my helmet a little."

 

[trevim]

António Carvalho to the RTP microphones about Joni. This is going to catch fire.

"He didn't even managed to pass me [on the final sprint] and I was pulling for 700m and since he didn't like it he must have some fetish with me, he should have with his wife, but he must have some fetish with me and he decided to give me a head butt. I'm not going to talk about the rest, luckily I have a good helmet because he may have pierced my helmet a little."

Classy!

Anyway another win for Rafael Reis, the plot thickens……

 

[Libertine Seguros]

And he gets the camisola amarela, with Javi Moreno (the right kind of rider to contest the GC here, late 30s and long since gone from the top level) and Diego López (definitely not the right kind of rider to contest the GC here, 23 and fairly promising) now inserted into the mix, with González now shuffled back down out of the top 10 and looking a bit laboured in the run to the line. Surprising that riders with some good climbing pedigree are being allowed back into the mix, Reis I can see (risky though it may be, at least for W52 as obviously Efapel are happy to let their man ride up front) but López wasn't that far back on Torre at all.

 

[Mayomaniac]

And he gets the camisola amarela, with Javi Moreno (the right kind of rider to contest the GC here, late 30s and long since gone from the top level) and Diego López (definitely not the right kind of rider to contest the GC here, 23 and fairly promising) now inserted into the mix, with González now shuffled back down out of the top 10 and looking a bit laboured in the run to the line. Surprising that riders with some good climbing pedigree are being allowed back into the mix, Reis I can see (risky though it may be, at least for W52 as obviously Efapel are happy to let their man ride up front) but López wasn't that far back on Torre at all.

Tavira had no interest to defend the jersey and both Efapel and W52 had multiple guys in the breakaway. With RP out of the race nobody was going to chase the break (looking at you, Movistar).
Anyway, a big engine like Reis winning solo on this kind of terrain isn't unexpected. He's now also leading the points classification and could even win a 4th stage with the ITT on the final day, his teammate Moreira will probably be his biggest rival in that one. I'm also a bit surprised that they let de Mateos back into the race. He is past his prime, but you never know what those older riders might show you at the end of the Volta...
Anyway, with 2 consecutive MTFs on the next 2 days those who were in the breakaway today might pay for it.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Tomorrow we have another MTF right before the big Nossa Senhora da Graça stage.

The final climb isn't that easy, before the final km you have 2.5 hard kms where you can attack:

2 years ago Brandao took the leader's jersey on pretty much exactly the same stage, he finished 11sec ahead of Rodrigues (who ended up winning the Volta), and 14sec ahead of Figueiredo. Th race leader Veloso had a bad day and lost the jersey by loosing 40sec to Brandao. The stage was won by Luis Gomes.

 

[Roku]

Since this is Portugal and it is widely established to be a dopingfest...

1. Moreira inherited the Alarcón powers.
2. Reis' transition from a prologue / short ITT specialist to all-rounder with medium mountain climbing prowess is another Fatima "miracle".
3. Unrelated to the previous remarks, Carvalho never looked like a guy willing to work for his teammates.

 

[trevim]

Apparently headwind in the final climb, according to Acacio da Silva, the only Portuguese that wore the yellow Jersey and natural from Montalegre where the stage ends