Right, now that the first week is over, we're starting to head northward, with a piece of the Volta's history next. This is the start of the second weekend of the race, so we're hoping to provide some exciting action on a day with maximum TV audiences available.
Stage 8: Idanha-a-Nova - Gouveia, 183km
The cobbled climb of Gouveia has long been part of the Volta's tradition. Though it isn't particularly steep, it's tricky enough to see some variety in the way the stage ends up; in 2000 a group of 6 contested the win, in 2003 Vitor Gamito and Rui Lavarinhas put two minutes into the field on the Alto da Torre and held on to the finish, 2004 saw Sergio Paulinho win the uphill battle against Cândido Barbosa, but Barbosa went one better in what was pretty much a sprint in 2007, while Patrik Sinkewitz soloed in in 2009. The tradition recently has been to send the riders over Penhas Douradas before a couple of laps, and I am not going to deviate from that policy. However, I am going to add to that policy by adding a further, very hard climb that will put a bit more into the legs, use a slightly tougher route over Penhas Douradas, and perhaps increase the possibility of time gaps emerging on this stage. Certainly, however, there is a wide range of potential outcomes, ranging from an uphill sprint right up the alley of Philippe Gilbert to a genuine GC battle.
Climbs:
Piornos (Penhas da Saúde)(cat.1) 13,1km @ 7,5%
Penhas Douradas (cat.1) 11,1km @ 5,2%
Gouveia (cat.3) 5,4km @ 4,3%
Gouveia (cat.3) 5,4km @ 4,3%
Gouveia (cat.3) 5,4km @ 4,3%
Here's a clip of the 2003 stage, which will allow you to see the climb and, in the second part, that most unexpected thing in Iberia: cobbled climbing. Also notable for the first real breakout performance by a young Galician mountain domestique called Ezequiel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2WV2D1ibtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap7haqJDSQI
That stage was at the end of the first week of a two week Volta; this time, it's at the end of the first week of a three week Volta. We might see it stay a bit more together as a result, but there will be time to be won after yesterday's ITT.
Idanha-a-Nova:
Gouveia: