Volta ao Alentejo - short Portuguese stage race returning to its more traditional spot on the calendar after a couple of summer editions. UCI 2.2.
Stage 1: Castelo de Vide - Redondo, 166km
Initial break of the day:
Kirill Sveshnikov (Lokosphinx)
Darren Lill (Bonitas)
David Belda (BH Burgos)
Daan Olivier (Rabobank Continental)
René Hooghiemster (NSP)
Omar Fraile (Orbea)
Lill took all the Metas Volantes and GPM points available to the break.
Efapel-Glassdrive and Carmim-Prio paced the péloton. On the second passage of the Serra d'Ossa, José João Mendes (LA-Antarte) did what he does best and attacked, chased by Daniel Silva (Onda). Mendes was first over the second passage of the GPM, and was very strong; he was only taken back in by the péloton with just over one kilometre to go.
In the end, he couldn't prevent the sprint, won by former Andalucía Argentine Jorgé Montenegro:
1 Jorgé Martín Montenegro (Louletano-Dunas Douradas)
2 Samuel Caldeira (Carmim-Prio) +mt
3 José Gonçalves (Onda-Boavista) +mt
4 Jon Aberasturi (Orbea) +mt
5 Bruno Saraiva (Louletano-Dunas Douradas) +mt
6 Marco Cunha (Liberty Seguros) +mt
7 Grzegorz Stepniak (CCC Polsat-Polkowice) +mt
8 Marc Goos (Rabobank Continental) +mt
9 Daan Olivier (Rabobank Continental) +mt
10 Marco Minnaard (Rabobank Continental) +mt