Bruno Araújo, a 16-year-old young athlete who runs for the Portuguese-Angolan team CC Tavira/Sport Luanda and Benfica, as part of the protocol between the two teams, ended on Sunday the Tour of Portugal by Cadets Liberty Seguros in 13th position.
The competition took place between the 18th and 20th of July and was expected to be quite demanding, taking into account the profile of the stages, with relevance to the second round, which included two first-class mountains, the last installed on the finish line, in Serra do Larouco.
Bruno Araújo proved to be an excellent climber, and, in this selection, he reached the 13th position, with 7 minutes and 22 seconds of difference to the winner Daniel Viegas (CC José Maria Nicolau / Vélo Club AnneMosse).
In the third and final round, it was João Batista's turn to climb to 9th position, in a sprint finish, with the same time as the winner Alejandro Chorro (Gandia/Jorge Canet).
In the final accounts, Bruno Araújo was the athlete from the CC Tavira/Sport Luanda e Benfica Team who climbed the highest in the overall table, in 13th place, 7 minutes and 33 seconds behind the triumphant Daniel Viegas.
For Carlos César Araújo, sports director of the Angolan cadet, this result “exceeded expectations, as it was the first time that this runner took part in a race outside Angola, with 130 cyclists, in an adverse climate, and where everything was new”.
Bruno Araújo, rookie in international competitions, reveals that he felt insecure in the first stage: “on the first day I felt little confident, as it was a new environment for me, with a large squad, and in the second stage it was quite complicated due to the rain and to the cold, the body is not used to these temperature changes”, confided the Angolan runner.
However, confidence arrived on the last day of the race, where Araújo was involved in five escape attempts, three of which were initiated by the athlete: “yesterday I felt more relaxed, but more familiar, I already knew the opponents and I was able to position myself best in the peloton and fight for the best result”, he concluded.
Final individual overall classification / CC Tavira-Sport Luanda and Benfica:
13th Bruno Araújo (7:33)
20th José Afonso (9:29)
21st Rodrigo de Jesus (9:33)
23rd John the Baptist (11:02)
28th Bruno Faleiro (11:21)
57th Rafael Piedade (20:55)
77th Thomas Constantino (30:00)
89th Diogo Simão (40:30)
Comments