The Spanish Ángel Suarez (The Yt Mob) and the British Tahnée Seagrave (Transition Bikes/FMD Factory Racing) triumphed, for the second consecutive year, in the opening of the Portuguese Downhill Cup (DHI). Repeated success in opening the Trophy was this time achieved in the Algarve town of São Brás de Alportel.
In the qualifying relegation of the competition entered in the international calendar, the Galician Ángel Suarez (26th in the world ranking) did not enter the top ten classified.
In the final, Suarez had the best record of the entire competition, with 2'35”467, anticipating by more than one second the time of the national vice-champion of the specialty, José Borges (Miranda Factory Team), second place, with 2 '36”512.
Briton Jack Reading (One Vision Global Racing), 91st in the world rankings, was the quickest downhill qualifying race, but ended the opening round of the trophy in third place, with the clock stopping at 2'37”145.
The Portuguese Cup winner, the national champion Emanuel Pombo (Ciclo Madeira Clube Desportivo), did not go beyond the ninth place, with a record of 2'40”235.
Among the female elite, the British Tahnée Seagrave (Transition Bikes/ FMD Factory Racing) once again established herself in the first official race of the Portuguese DHI season.
The British rider, number two in the world ranking, imposed the expected hegemony (2'57”914), anticipating in more than two seconds the record of the second classified, the German Veronika Widmann (Bike Club Egna Neumarkt), who spent 3'00” 355.
Margarida Bandeira (Montanha Clube / LouzanPark) was ranked third among the female elite, with a record 3'27”423.
The final classification of the first three classified repeated the alignment previously achieved during the qualifying relegation.
In the round of São Brás de Alportel, which awarded the first points of the DHI Portuguese Cup, other winners were consecrated.
The men's junior competition had a national winner. Gonçalo Bandeira (Miranda Factory Team) won tangentially – 2'42”114 against 2'42”835 – over Jamie Edmondson (Transition Bikes / Muc-off Factory Racing), the fastest in qualifying. The final third place belonged to Orion Kichmayer (LAESPORT), with a time of 2'47”368.
In the cadets, the fastest in São Brás de Alportel was Nuno Reis (Maiatos) with a record of 2'50''684. The podium in this category was filled with another British runner, Dennis Luffman (Transition / FMD Factory Racing), runner-up. Third place went to Mario Ruiz (Miranda Bike CC).
In the other categories, Daniel Pombo (Ciclo Madeira Clube Desportivo) won in the Masters 30, José Sousa (Casa do Povo de Abrunheira) was the fastest in the Masters 40 and Antero Oliveira (Bike House DH Team/Guimarães) took the best among the Masters 50. The promotion race was won by Leonel Henrique (Wildpack Algarve Racing).
The second competition of the DHI Portuguese Cup takes place on the 17th of March, in Porto de Mós.
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