Volta a Portugal (st. 4)

Puerto Rican from Movistar Team reaches rest day in sixth place overall after tough team battle between W52 and stage winner Figueiredo's Efapel. Marque (ATM) retains 'camisola amarela'.

The crazy pace local outfits always show at the Volta a Portugal was again shown at Sunday’s stage four, which exploded quite far from the finish in Guarda. A combined attack from W52 – Porto and Efapel put race leader Alejandro Marque’s Atum / Tavira squad between a rock and a hard place. The Galician could, however, retain his yellow jersey at the finish, where Frederico Figueiredo (EFP) took the day’s honours.

The Portuguese rider attacked into the tough climb of Videmonte (Cat-2), 35km from the finish, from a very reduced GC peloton (35 riders) split at the very start, with two Movistar Team riders able to keep up with them: Lluís Mas y Abner González. The ‘boricua‘, today wearing the under-23 leader jersey for the first time, had some great support in the end by the Spaniard, who brought back by himself half of the two-minute advantage Figueiredo and Amaro Antunes (W52) held over the penultimate climb to Guarda (Cat-3).

At the cobbled, uphill finish, Abner was the third strongest within those in the peloton, behind Moreira (EFP) and Brandao (W52), and sits almost at the same overall place he had a day prior: he’s now in sixth, 1’10” from Marque and 45″ away from the podium. The ‘Grandíssima’ will enjoy its rest day on Monday, before resuming Tuesday with the Cat-2 Santo Tirso / Nª Sra. da Assuncao finish.

Cover picture (c): Photo Gomez Sport