The National Team/Liberty Seguros Under-23 starts this Wednesday, in France, the participation in the Cup of Nations 2012. The first race that will feature the Portuguese collective is La Côte Picarde, a classic of 182,2 kilometers .
The national coach José Poeira hopes that the Portuguese are in the discussion for the first places, although he is aware of the difficulties. “It's a long test. The initial phase takes place on flat terrain, but in areas very subject to wind and the formation of 'borders'. Our riders will always have to be well placed and very attentive, because there are teams present that are specialists in promoting this type of cuts in the peloton. The final stage, in circuit, is characterized by going up and down, with short but very steep ramps, followed by plateaus where the wind can also cause damage”, anticipates José Poeira.
The team selected for this competition is composed of Amaro Antunes (Carmine-Prio-Tavira), Fábio Silvestre (Leopard-Trek), Luís Afonso and Pedro Paulinho (Liberty Seguros/Feira/Specialized), Rafael Reis (Caja Rural) and Ricardo Ferreira (UC Maia/Bicycles Andrade). The same riders will remain in Europe, at the service of the National Team/Liberty Seguros, until the 25th of April.
Next Saturday, they will race another classic of the Nations Cup, the Dutch ZLM Tour, participating, from 17 to 21 April in Tuscany Land of Cycling, race by stages also in the Nations Cup. The tour ends, still in transalpine territory, with the dispute, on the 25th, of the GP della Liberazione.
In addition to the selector and the six cyclists, the national delegation is made up of the federative director Carlos Cruz, the masseuse Paulo Silva and the mechanic Carlos Rocha.
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