The second stage in Tuscany – Terra de Cyclismo, a test of the Under-23 Cup of Nations, was a perfect match for the National Team/Liberty Seguros, which placed two riders in the top ten. Fábio Silvestre was 5th and Amaro Antunes was 8th, both with the same time as the winner, the Algerian Youcef Reguigui (UCI Mixed Team).
The 130,2 kilometers disputed between Figline Valdarno and Gaiole in Chianti were covered in heavy rain, which further hardened an already very difficult link, due to the permanent ups and downs.
The crashes followed, but the Portuguese runners managed to escape the misfortune and three of them ended the journey among the restricted lot that can still have hopes of beating for the general classification.
The finish was very troubled, with a fall in the last 80 meters, which affected Fábio Silvestre's sprint, preventing him from discussing first place. Even so, the cyclist from Sobral de Monte Agraço managed to finish in fifth position.
The fastest of the day was the Algerian Youcef Reguigui, who overcame Belgian Sean de Bie and Kazakh Alexey Lutsenko. This is the new leader of the competition, although with the same time as the previous pink jersey, Italian Enrico Barbin.
The third is Slovenian Jan Trantnik, 4 seconds away. Fábio Silvestre climbed to seventh position and, like Amaro Antunes, eleventh, is 10 seconds behind the commander.
“It was a very tough stage. The winding route, with very complicated ramps, was no longer enough, it rained heavily. Fortunately, our runners were not involved in the falls and were able to give the best performance. The result was very good. We have two men in the top 10 and we have our leader, Amaro Antunes, in good shape and well placed to discuss the race in the next two stages, which will be decisive. It was just a pity that we lost Pedro Paulinho, who had to leave with flu-like symptoms”, says national coach José Poeira.
Tomorrow, the third stage of the competition will be disputed, the first of two shots with a high end. The riders will face 145,6 kilometers starting and finishing in Cavriglia and two mountain prizes in the last 15 kilometers, one of them coinciding with the finish.
Classification
2nd Stage: Figline Valdarno – Gaiole in Chianti, 130,2 km
1st Youcef Reguigui (UCI Mixed Team), 3h20m23s (Average: 38,985 km/h)
2nd Sean de Bie (Belgium), mt
3rd Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan), mt
5th Fábio Silvestre (Portugal), mt
8th Amaro Antunes (Portugal), mt
51st Luís Afonso (Portugal), at 21s
74th Ricardo Ferreira (Portugal), at 7m22s
103th Rafael Reis (Portugal), at 16m34s
General Individual
1st Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan, 7:13:44
2nd Enrico Barbin (Italy), mt
3rd Jan Tratnik (Slovenia), 4s
7th Fábio Silvestre (Portugal), at 10s
11th Amaro Antunes (Portugal), mt
52st Luís Afonso (Portugal), at 31s
74th Ricardo Ferreira (Portugal), at 7m32s
96th Rafael Reis (Portugal), at 16m44s
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