North American Hugo Scala Jr. (Echelon Racing) won stage five of the Volta a Portugal on Tuesday in a two-man sprint, avenging his successful escape once again. Portuguese cyclist Afonso Eulálio (ABTF-Feirense) retained the yellow jersey, 16 seconds behind Colin Stussy (Vorarlberg).
After a day of rest, the peloton – 113 cyclists lined up at the start – faced a tough 176.8 km ride between Penedono and Bragança. The route was full of ups and downs, and was scorched by intense heat – from 32 to 35 degrees. Despite this, 12 cyclists left the peloton after 10 kilometers. One of the escapees eventually gave up and was absorbed by the main part of the column.
The escape group had a 5.50 minute lead over the peloton midway through the stage when the teams keen to get into the sprint, especially Aviludo-Luleto and Caja Rural, picked up the pace in the peloton and began working to stop the escape. At the first gate pass, the escapees had a 1.13 minute lead and thought they had a breakthrough. Portugal’s Fábio Costa (ABTF-Feirense) and Scala Jr. excelled in the final kilometres, both racing in a sprint that left the North American smiling. The peloton arrived less than a minute later.
This Wednesday’s race will connect Bragança to Boticas over a distance of 169.1 km and will feature a first-category climb at Torneiros, 20 km from the end. Before that, road racers will climb four third-class plateaus.
Author: Luis Oliveira
Source: CM Jornal
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