The Allianz Algarve Pro, which takes place from the 6th to the 8th of June at Praia do Amado, marks the return of the main Portuguese surfing competition to the municipality of Aljezur after 16 years of absence.
This 4th Stage (penultimate) of the Moche League 2014 involves the best Portuguese surfers in the fight for the national title and parallel trophies, such as the Moche Wildcards, which, at the end of the circuit, will award ten invitations to the screening event of the Portuguese stage of the WCT (World Championship Tour) world circuit. played in October in Peniche.
The return of the best national surf to Aljezur was possible with the local support of Turismo do Algarve and the Municipality of Aljezur. “As the penultimate stage (of the circuit) you will be able to watch the delineation of national titles during the Allianz Algarve Pro”, stresses José Francisco, Director of Market Management at Allianz Portugal, sponsor of the event, adding that the Algarve “has fantastic waves, that must be disclosed”.
For three days, Praia do Amado will be the venue to watch the best Portuguese surf. The current leaders of the circuit, Vasco Ribeiro and Teresa Bonvalot, have never competed in the Algarve, despite knowing the waves of Amado due to stages made in the region.
For Algarve surfers this is a stage that gives them an advantage: they don't need to travel and they know very well the surfing conditions at Praia do Amado, where many of them started surfing.
“I'm confident for the Allianz Algarve Pro, which will be played on the beach where I caught the first wave of my life and where I surf regularly”, he says. Marlon Lipke, the best surfer in the Algarve today.
Marlon has already competed among the elite of the 34 best in the World (WCT) and is ranked 10th in the Moche League 2014. “I couldn't compete in Porto (3rd Stage), so I really want to do at least one final at Amado,” he said Marlon, who this year was a finalist won in the 1st Stage (Costa de Caparica) and last year won the last stage of the circuit, in Cascais.
Miguel Mouzinho, second best surfer in the Algarve in Liga Moche 2014 (13th in the ranking), explains that Amado “is a beach break (surfing on a sandy bottom) without any big secrets”, but admits to taking advantage due to the great knowledge he has of that wave. “My first surfing experience was at Amado. It takes many years to surf there, which is an advantage”, says the surfer from Lagos.
Marlon Lipke is a regular presence at the Peniche triages. “But I haven't been able to win them yet”, says the Algarve surfer, expressing his desire for the waves to be better this year in Peniche in order to get the coveted place at Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal.
In addition to the Moche Wildcards, which gives invitations to compete with the best surfers in the world, the Allianz Algarve Pro has more parallel trophies, which enrich the competition on the beach, namely the Malibu Expression Session, which awards 500 euros to the best maneuver in a species of mini-championship; and the Ramirez Junior Award, which awards 500 euros to the best under-16 surfer.
Filipe Jerviz is the surfer to watch out for at Malibu Expression Session and Luís Perloiro has already won the Ramirez Junior Award twice this year.
Vasco Ribeiro won two of the three stages already played in the Moche League 2014 and can resolve the title issue with a win at Amado. The national champion Frederico Morais has to give his best in this 4th stage, to reinforce his victory in the inaugural stage (Costa de Caparica) and not let go of the revalidation of the national title. José Ferreira, who sold face to defeat in the final in Ribeira d'Ilhas (2nd Stage) is always a potential winner. Marlon Lipke himself could complicate the title's accounts with a victory at Praia do Amado.
Attention at Amado will also be focused on algarvian armada, made up of a dozen surfers who regularly participate in the Moche League competitions. Names like Marlon Lipke, Miguel Mouzinho, Luca and Joackim Guichard and the new reinforcement foreign from the Algarve Surf Clube, Eduardo Fernandes, always cause emotion in the championships.
A algarvian armada will be reinforced at Amado by Alex Botelho and Leo Belime, to whom the Algarve Surf Clube decided to award the wildcards the organization for the test.
Passing by Amado next weekend is a guarantee of a spectacle on the beach. If you are unable to go to the beach, the championship will be broadcast live on MEO Kanal 202020, over the internet, in www.liga.moche.pt and also in the Surf MOCHE application, for mobile phones, as well as dedicated summaries on RTP.
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