the portuguese Raphael Reisof Glassdrive Q8 Anicolor, its fastest Wednesday at prologue of Volta a Portugal and became the first leader of the event, where the Uruguayan Mauricio Moreirafavorite to defend his crown, finishing third and on the podium.
Reis was the last cyclist to ride the 3.6-kilometer circuit in Viseu (downtown) and the fastest, with a time of 3 minutes and 58 seconds that guaranteed him the first yellow jersey in the main Portuguese cycling event.
In second place, and with two more seconds, is Spain Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi), while Moreira did three more than his teammate, guaranteeing him the last place on the podium.
Spaniards Iñigo Elosegui (Kern Pharma) and Antonio Jesús Soto (Euskaltel-Euskadi) also broke into the top 10, occupying fifth and tenth place, respectively.
With this result, Mauricio Moreira, the great favorite for victory, starts strongly to defend the titles won in 2022 and 2021, which the latter obtained earlier this year after the winner was disqualified for a doping scandal that shook Portuguese cycling.
The race will continue through the center of the country for the first of its ten stages, connecting the towns of Anadia with Ourém -where the Sanctuary of Fátima is located- along a 188.5-kilometer route.
The 84th edition of the Tour of Portugal has 19 teams, including four Spanish “Pro Teams” (Caja Rural-Seguros-RGA, Kern Pharma, Electro Hiper Europa and Euskaltel-Euskadi) and will run until the 20.
Source: La Verdad
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