The 31st Volta ao Alentejo, which runs from the 20th to the 24th of March, will have a squad of 149 runners from 19 teams and five stages, starting in Castelo de Vide and ending in Santiago do Cacém.
The "Alentejana" will run in "countercycle" with other national cycling events this year, which have reduced the duration, as it will have another day of competition and resume the five-stage costumes, said today the technical director of PAD, Joaquim Gomes.
The former cyclist, who won the “Alentejana” in 1988, was speaking in the town of Mértola (Beja), at the official presentation ceremony of the 31st Volta ao Alentejo, organized by PAD and the Intermunicipal Community of Central Alentejo (CIMAC).
Among the teams are 10 Portuguese and nine foreign, who will have the "opportunity to practice cycling at the highest level", explained Joaquim Gomes, considering the "Alentejana" the "second main" national cycling event, after the Volta a Portugal .
Six of the Portuguese teams are from the continental level (Carmin-Tavira, Rádio Popular-Onda, LA Alumínios-Antarte, Efapel-Glassdrive, Louletano-Dunas Douradas and OFM-Quinta da Lixa) and four from clubs in the under-23 level ( Cartaxo-CC JM Nicolau, Anicolor-Mortágua, Liberty Seguros-Santa Maria da Feira-KTM and Maia-Bicycles Andrade).
From abroad, eight will come from the continental level (the North American Bontrager Cycling Team and Team Optum, the Dutch Cycling Team The Rijke-Shanks and Rabobank Development Team, the Polish Bank BGZ Team, the Lithuanian Alpha Baltic-UnityMarathons.com, the Czech Etixx-Ihned and Russian Lokosphinx) and one of the under-23 level (British Zappi's Pro Cycling Team).
The “Alentejana” starts on March 20, with the connection between Castelo de Vide and Marvão, which will have 167 kilometers and could be one of the toughest, due to two mountain prizes at the end of the race, in other words, a third count. category at kilometer 154,6, in Monte Paleiros, and the ascent to Marvão, second category, at 755 meters of altitude, which coincides with the goal of the inaugural stage of the race.
The following day, March 21, the second stage takes place, with runners having to pedal 172,1 kilometers between Sousel and Portel, on a route punctuated by a 3rd category mountain count in Monsaraz.
On March 22, the third stage, the longest this year, with 174,6 kilometers, will connect Vidigueira and Mértola, followed by a 153,3 kilometer connection between Ourique and Odemira the following day.
The fifth and final run of the “Alentejana” will be the shortest this year, with 135,4 kilometers, and will be played between Vila Nova de Santo André and Santiago do Cacém and will have five fourth category mountain prizes.
In this year's edition of “Alentejana”, considered “darn” and “an international phenomenon”, because no runner has yet managed to win it twice, Sérgio Ribeiro, winner in 2006 and the last Portuguese to do so, can make history.
Note: The photos are by Nuno Loureiro
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