The Algarve rider Samuel Caldeira fell, but kept his yellow jersey, in the first stage of the 81st Volta a Portugal, which linked Miranda do Corvo and Leiria. Italian Davide Appollonio (Amore & Vita-Prodir) was the winner of the run, which covered 174,7 kilometers and was disputed in the sprint.
The final stage of the stage was «electrifying, marked by a collective fall, which involved, in addition to Samuel Caldeira, runners such as Joni Brandão (Efapel) or Domingos Gonçalves (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)», stresses the Portuguese Cycling Federation (FPC) ).
“In the men left at the front, after the accident, the fight was lit”, but the victory smiled to Davide Appollonio, returning to active duty after a four-year suspension. This was followed by Daniel Mestre (W52-FC Porto) and Matteo Malucelli (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), all credited with 4h47m07s (average of 36,508 km/h).
Before the sprint discussion, the story was different. At kilometer 5, David Ribeiro (LA Alumínios-LA Sport), Gaspar Gonçalves (Miranda-Mortágua), Mathias Reutmann (Swiss Racing Academy) and Peio Goikoetxea (Equipo Euskadi) made a break, and the difference came to pass 12 minutes. However, the W52-FC Porto «put order in the race, making the peloton's disadvantage drop to less than 7 minutes».
On the last mountain of the day, just over 70 kilometers from the end, when it was necessary to start chasing more intensely to reach the fugitives, the white and blues “raised their foot” to increase the difference, “in the hope that other teams would take on the expenses, at a time when the work had to be painful so that it was possible to cancel the escape», says the FPC.
Vito-Fairense-PNB “answered the call and made the squad decisively approach the adventurers of the day”.
The help of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA and Euskadi Basque Country-Murias made it possible to put an end to the flight just over two kilometers from the finish, when only Gaspar Gonçalves and Mathias Reutmann resisted.
From there, there was the scare with the fall and the end of the sprint. For the general accounts, there were no changes. Samuel Caldeira remains at the top, with the same time as the Swiss Gian Frieseck (Swiss Racing Academy) and the Galician Gustavo César Veloso (W52-FC Porto), second and third, respectively.
Davide Appollonio went on to command the points classification. Basque Peio Goikoetxea took advantage of the escape to wear the climbers' jersey, and Frenchman Thibault Guernalec (Team Arkéa-Samsic) remains the best youngster. By teams, the leader is W52-FC Porto.
Vicente de Mateos (Aviludo-Louletano), in 13th place, is the best placed cyclist of the Algarve teams in the overall standings, 9 seconds behind the yellow jersey.
The second stage puts the peloton, this Friday, on the longest journey of the race, 198,5 kilometers, between Marinha Grande and Santo António dos Cavaleiros, in the municipality of Loures. The finish coincides with a fourth-rate mountain award, which reflects a 1400 meter ramp with an 8 percent average slope.
According to the Portuguese Cycling Federation, “placement will be the key in this shot. On the one hand, to avoid the “cuts” that, inevitably, will happen in a steep climb. But the placement and the senses well alert will also be essential during the trip, which crosses the western region, where the wind can provide movements that segment the platoon».
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