Gone are the days when an Algarve team won Voltas a Portugal. This time, in the 75th edition of the most important Portuguese sprint competition, which ended today in Viseu, the top-ranked cyclist from a team in the Algarve was Rui Vinhas, from Louletano/Dunas Douradas, in 15th of the General Final, followed by Henrique Casimiro ( Banco BIC/Carmim), on the 23rd.
Today's stage, won by the American Jacob Keough (UnitedHealthcare), consecrated a Spaniard as the winner of the Diamond Edition of the Volta a Portugal: it was Alejandro Marque (OFM/Quinta da Lixa), curiously a cyclist who has already gone through professional training from Tavira, in the 2008 to 2010 and 2012 seasons.
In this, which was the 10th and last stage of 130 kilometers, starting and ending in Viseu, the best Algarvian was Bruno Sancho (Banco BIC/Carmim), in 17th, followed by the Spaniard António Olmo (Louletano/Dunas Douradas), in 27th.
In the Team General, among 17 teams, Louletano/Dunas Douradas finished in 5th position, while the Banco BIC/Carmim team finished in 13th.
Alejandro Marque wins Portugal Tour
The Spaniard Alejandro Marque (OFM/Quinta da Lixa) confirmed, this Sunday, in Viseu, the victory in the 75th Tour of Portugal Liberty Seguros, as announced the day before, after being the best in the time trial of the penultimate run.
The 10th stage, starting and ending in Viseu, was heatedly discussed with a long sprint on Avenida da Europa that decided the attribution of the red jersey, the only classification that was still open at the start of the last day of competition.
Manuel Cardoso (Caja Rural) with seventh place in the stage still managed to reach the Banco BIC Red Jersey, referring to the classification by points, on an equal footing with Rui Sousa (Efapel/Glassdrive) and Edgar Pinto (LA Alumínios/Antarte), all with 85 points.
The tiebreaker benefited who obtained the best results in each of the 10 stages and, in this case, Manuel Cardoso was the best.
The stage was won by American Jacob Keough (UnitedHealthcare), the fastest in the final in Viseu. Right after the triumph, the 26-year-old American, a professional since 2008, said, “This race was very difficult. I've already won some international competitions and I'm very pleased to have achieved a victory in the last stage of the Volta a Portugal.”
The remaining classifications have not changed. Márcio Barbosa (LA Alumínios/Antarte) had already secured the title of “King of the Mountain” and the respective PODIUM Blue Jersey in the Torre stage. The best youngster was the Kazakh Vladislav Gorbunov (Astana) who in recent days has always worn the RTP White Jersey.
The most desired of all and much welcomed by the huge crowd that gathered at the party in Volta, the Yellow Jersey Liberty Seguros, was won by a very smiling Alejandro Marque (OFM/Quinta da Lixa). “Today we had to be careful because I couldn't run the risk of having a puncture or having a fall in the last kilometers. It was a spectacular day, but I didn't really enjoy it because everything happened so fast. I'm happy at OFM/Quinta da Lixa. From day one they made me feel good like a family. If I'm okay in the team, why change?”, confessed the Galician runner, Alejandro Marque, when asked about the future.
the smallest difference ever
Alejandro Marque (OFM/Quinta da Lixa) won the 75th Tour of Portugal Liberty Seguros with an advantage of just 4 seconds over his most direct opponent, curiously his compatriot, teammate and friend Gustavo Veloso.
It's the slimmest difference ever for a Tournament winner. To find another such short margin between first and second place, it is necessary to resort to the 2002 classification when Claus Moller triumphed.
The Dane won that year with a 5 second lead over teammate Jon Horrach.
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