The twilight zone called Portugal.

[Mayomaniac]

This is W52, who's to say that that was ALL their gear?

"This is but a fraction of our power!"

 

[Ricco']

Edgar Pinto suspended for 4 years

8 W52 riders and 2 staff members provisionally suspended by the portuguese anti-doping organization.

José Neves wins a stage in a national Stage Race.

A nice day for W52 with victories in every front.

 

[PhiLiz]

Edgar Pinto suspended for 4 years

8 W52 riders and 2 staff members provisionally suspended by the portuguese anti-doping organization.

José Neves wins a stage in a national Stage Race.

A nice day for W52 with victories in every front.

Wasn't long lasted tho.

José Neves won and did a Mohoric, shushing everyone. A few hours later, ADOP suspended 8 team riders (can't find exactly who) plus 2 staff members.

They can still appeal but it looks like this is the end of Porco. How sad...

 

[PhiLiz]

Porco went out with a bang:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1548028952744038400

View: https://twitter.com/NaichacaCycling/status/1548028952744038400?s=20&t=NvYXsUhs3Xwc_9tBbsJ7mg

 

[Ripper]

Porco went out with a bang:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1548028952744038400

View: https://twitter.com/NaichacaCycling/status/1548028952744038400?s=20&t=NvYXsUhs3Xwc_9tBbsJ7mg

The shushing of everyone is equal parts stupid and ironic ... It has to be one of the worst finish line gestures ever created. So immature

 

[Mayomaniac]

Butbut what about the Volta?
A total domination by Glassdrive Q8 would be horrible. Someone should sign Frolov, Najar and/Joao Gaspar to fight them, papi Veloso can't do it onbhis own...

 

[Libertine Seguros]

There's also the possibility of Rosón, Roniel Campos or Roman Maikin, and Grega Bole could come back to stage hunt.

 

[PhiLiz]

Butbut what about the Volta?
A total domination by Glassdrive Q8 would be horrible. Someone should sign Frolov, Najar and/Joao Gaspar to fight them, papi Veloso can't do it onbhis own...

Implying total domination by Porco wasn't horrible as well...

But, Ace and his Neo Efapel team are working on it. And you now have the returned Delio at Tavira and also André "B sample was negative" Cardoso. Watts fest will still happen, do not fear.

 

[Mayomaniac]

There's also the possibility of Rosón, Roniel Campos or Roman Maikin, and Grega Bole could come back to stage hunt.

Roniel Campos was pretty meh last year when he raced for Louletano. so I don't know how much I'd expect from him...

 

[PhiLiz]

Everyone in the team is suspended but Amaro "the Algarvio donk" Antunes and Neves who, right now, leads GP Douro Internacional and tomorrow will try to defend his yellow jersey by himself in the last stage. They're not removing him despite all of this. This is Porco for you, really can't make this up.

This is it regarding any Grandíssima participation and I think it's a matter of time before Antunes and Neves (who last year was flying but didn't make the final team for the Volta) are notified as well.

 

[laarsland]

Portuguese anti doping-agency recently come under new management, or did the team get too lax and slip up?

 

[Mayomaniac]

Everyone in the team is suspended but Amaro "the Algarvio donk" Antunes and Neves who, right now, leads GP Douro Internacional and tomorrow will try to defend his yellow jersey by himself in the last stage. They're not removing him despite all of this. This is Porco for you, really can't make this up.

This is it regarding any Grandíssima participation and I think it's a matter of time before Antunes and Neves (who last year was flying but didn't make the final team for the Volta) are notified as well.

How the hell Neves missed out on the Volta spot last year despite his great results and being the NC is still a mystery.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Portuguese anti doping-agency recently come under new management, or did the team get too lax and slip up?

It was a police raid. Still funny how in nearly every country besides France police raids actually lead to something.

 

[PhiLiz]

How the hell Neves missed out on the Volta spot last year despite his great results and being the NC is still a mystery.

From what I was told, it was kind of a "team balance" decision since he'd be another leader and they needed domestiques so he was the leader everywhere before the Volta and missed it in favor of a domestique. Might be BS but that's what they were selling to everyone.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I mean, I'd get Brôco at LS '08-'09 vibes where after being 12th in the Volta in '07 he couldn't get in the team for the biggest races for two years and this was always because "he didn't fit in", but Neves' results in the smaller races were far better than Brôco's in that period so the 'not getting with the full program' theory that predominated has less cache here.

 

[Mayomaniac]

I mean, I'd get Brôco at LS '08-'09 vibes where after being 12th in the Volta in '07 he couldn't get in the team for the biggest races for two years and this was always because "he didn't fit in", but Neves' results in the smaller races were far better than Brôco's in that period so the 'not getting with the full program' theory that predominated has less cache here.

The watts that Neves has been publishing on his strava last year were also so impressive that not getting with the full program seems really, really unlikely.

 

[PhiLiz]

I'm pretty sure the leadership justification was, at most, only a part of the reason. If nothing else because it's good policy to assume W52-Porco is lying about pretty much everything.

I'm sure there was also some pharmaceutical reason involved perhaps their internal controls were showing some Balarcon levels of radiation and they didn't wanna risk it, but that's just a guess.

Didn't do them any good as a team, but Neves is, for now, untouched.

 

[PhiLiz]

Neves, by himself, just won the GC of Douro Internacional stage race. Of course, the tactical genius of Rúben Pereira allowed it...

Let's see how long it stands. Really doubt any victory from 2022 will remain in place.

Meanwhile, Porco staff staged a protest at the beginning of the stage. The Portuguese used is very poor but it means something like: "transform our indignation into success. wait and see" - https://www.ojogo.pt/modalidades/ci...-sucesso-eles-que-vivam-e-verao-15026240.html

 

[wirral]

So has the W52 / Porto cycling team been wound up now?

 

[PhiLiz]

So has the W52 / Porto cycling team been wound up now?

Kind of, yes. Porco has 2 available cyclists: Amaro Antunes and José Neves, the guy who won today's stage race on its own because Ruben Pereira from Glassdrive is an idiot and also because Gustavo Doposo, now a DS, lend a hand with his team and helped him at his own podium hope expense.

But the rest is suspended so no Grandíssima for them unless they are allowed to hire 5 guys to complete the team which looks highly unlikely but it's Porco so you never know until the official start list has been confirmed...

 

[Mayomaniac]

Kind of, yes. Porco has 2 available cyclists: Amaro Antunes and José Neves, the guy who won today's stage race on its own because Ruben Pereira from Glassdrive is an idiot and also because Gustavo Doposo, now a DS, lend a hand with his team and helped him at his own podium hope expense.

But the rest is suspended so no Grandíssima for them unless they are allowed to hire 5 guys to complete the team which looks highly unlikely but it's Porco so you never know until the official start list has been confirmed...

Hire Najar, Joao Gaspar, Ronson , Kleber Ramos and Magno Nazaret!

 

[PhiLiz]

Porco fans made a spectacle in the end supporting Neves. Quintanilha, the team owner did this:

Lots of talk between Porco fans about "doing something" during Grandissima in a few weeks. Actually, the decisive time trial is between Gaia and Porto (great city, don't confuse it with Porco) and passes right in front of Estádio do Dragão, the football team's stadium. A few years ago there was already some problems with Brandão when you was riding for Sporting in the final ITT, but I guess the Portuguese federation really wanted a beautiful last image with one of the doped Porco cyclists winning "at home". Tough luck and now there's a real possibility of endangering everyone involved because Porco is in this mess.

Of course this is now bigger than cycling. Even bigger than CycloTugão which, in itself, is a really bad joke. On top of all that, let's hope cycling fans don't get to know what Porco really is. Violence is certainly a possibility.

 

[MnR]

In W52 they have 12 riders, so they may have 4 avaible. So they only need to hire 3 riders to race the next races.

Its a shame the list of 8 suspended riders not be public (at least i cant find it).

If the team cannot take part on Volta, lets pray that violence doesnt happen

 

[Ricco']

In W52 they have 12 riders, so they may have 4 avaible. So they only need to hire 3 riders to race the next races.

Its a shame the list of 8 suspended riders not be public (at least i cant find it).

If the team cannot take part on Volta, lets pray that violence doesnt happen

One of those has retired shortly before the scandal went public.

There are rumours that another 2 will be provisionally suspended soon (one of those is Jose Neves, the Mohoric from Santarém).

 

[PhiLiz]

In W52 they have 12 riders, so they may have 4 avaible. So they only need to hire 3 riders to race the next races.

Its a shame the list of 8 suspended riders not be public (at least i cant find it).

If the team cannot take part on Volta, lets pray that violence doesnt happen

No, they have had 11 since Guilherme Mota retired early in the year.

I'm a bit unsure about the whole list but it seems like Antunes and Neves are the only untouched. For sure six of them were notified during the last stage race:
José Gonçalves
Ricardo Mestre
Rui Vinhas
João Rodrigues
Joni Brandão
Ricardo Vilela

Then, zerozero says only Antunes and Neves haven't been notified yet: https://www.zerozero.pt/news.php?id=374517

But, looking at it while typing this I'm indeed confused because they're including "José Fernandes" meaning Neves (Fernandes is his last name). If you take him out, there's 9 cyclists named so it leaves Antunes and Neves.

Abola has this news article about it but it's paid: https://abola3d.abola.pt/detalhe/1838/949571 - and it mentions 10 cyclists. Maybe they've included Mota, the guy who retired.

So, bit of a mess, but I think they indeed only have two guys that weren't notified and it's hilarious because Antunes and Neves are two of the more ridiculous members of the team, but I think it's just a matter of time for them too.

Finally, GP Joaquim Agostinho a few weeks ago barred them from competing unlike these clowns at Douro Internacional. The organization can always just barred them and that would it.

If they aren't barred, they need to find 5 guys in the next two weeks. Improbable, but it's Porco so, not entirely impossible.