With no MTF in the Torre stage this year, contenders might be more intent on going hard on Monte Farinha this time though, like in 2008 when it came AFTER the Torre stage. As Jens says too, don't underestimate the Barragem do Alvão climb, if the pace is driven there things could get interesting, like in 2009 when the race-deciding move was made because all the big teams had riders they were content with up the road, and by the time it became clear Nuno Ribeiro and João Cabreira were the strongest, the gap was too big for Palmeiras (Tavira) to pull back, or 2010 when the penultimate climb was Campanhó, and a select break including Brôco and Rui Sousa gained about a minute on that climb and while they were pulled back it meant that they were suddenly up among the GC elites which hadn't been expected at that point.
We may get the typical recent years "brutal pace until the last couple of kilometres where the smallish gaps are opened" type of stage, as the last couple of kilometres are tough, but even so that would open up the possibility of some serious battling from distance in the Torre stage if riders they are afraid of in the chrono are too close for comfort or if W52 show any sign of weakness with the loss of César's right hand man.
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