Maybe you had enough already of weather talk, today’s stage was simply very hot, quickly passing the 30ºC (86ºF) mark. Finding and drinking enough water was one of today’s important issues, also because the stage was long and would run right through the hottest hours of the day. Racers were obviously shaken down at the finished line.

 

The day was sadly marked by the serious fall suffered by racer João Pereira (POR), plate number 295, who has injured both his arms and was rapidly taken to a nearby hospital to undergo treatment. We deeply regret the accident and wish him the quickest recovery possible.

 

Rui Anjos (POR) was the fastest racer today, boasting an impressive average of 23,58 km/h. He finished in 2nd, increasing his overall distance towards Kate Aardal (NOR).

 

Kate and Henry Hayes (RSA) led the race together for some time, up until Vitor Gamito (POR) and Rui Anjos (POR) approached them, as has been the pattern for the past stages. But by the 5th and last control point (CP) of the stage (km 147, at Montes Juntos, 23 km to go), Vitor had not taken the lead, and rode together with Kate and Henry, followed closely by Rui, 1 min behind.

 

Behind that fantastic four, Janine King (RSA), Liselore Vollmer (NED) and Raffaele Verzella (ITA) were still holding their ground at CP 4, but were soon overtaken by a 6 strong group of Portuguese racers riding together.

Marco Macedo (POR), Christophe De Clercq (POR) and Daniel Hoedemaekers (NED) were also right behind.

 

The last leg of the stage and its steep climb proved too much for a heat stricken Kate Aardal (NOR), eventually arriving in 4th, 12 min after the first three. Henry Hayes (RSA) crossed the finish line 10 seconds ahead of Rui and Vitor, thus winning his first stage of the TransPortugal Garmin Race 2012.

 

 

6th STAGE TOP 10:

 

1 - Henry Hayes (RSA) 

2 - Rui Anjos (POR) 

3 - Vitor Gamito (POR) 

4 - Kate Aardal (NOR) 

5 - Daniel Hoedemaekers (NED)

6 - Marco Macedo (POR)

7 - Christophe De Clercq (BEL) 

8 - Francisco Carneiro (POR) 

9 - Gonçalo Correia (POR) 

10 - José Pereira (POR)

 

FINAL TOP 3 AFTER 6th STAGE:

 

1 - Vitor Gamito (POR), 34h06m44s

2 - Rui Anjos (POR), 2h16m54s dif. 

3 - Kate Aardal (NOR), 2h30m38s dif.

Henry Hayes (RSA), in 4th overall, is only 5 min behind Kate, while  Christophe De Clercq (BEL) the 5th overall, is 37 minutes behind Henry.

 

DAY 7 – MONSARAZ TO ALBERNOA

 

The flattest stage of the race in terms of total climbs (2009m) has also been the fastest stage of TransPortugal Garmin Race: highest average of 28,9 km/h.

This stage will start taking the race West, detaching it from the Spanish border from which it never wandered very far since it left Braganza. This means TransPortugal Garmin Race is finally approaching the sea.

 

It also means that, before getting there, it will face the coastal mountains that separate the Algarve from Alentejo, but that’s a story to be told next time. If tomorrow’s stage is a golden chance for rollers, there is still time for climbers to show their own.

 

Tomorrow there may be some clouds coming in, but maximum temperatures are predicted to be very high again. As a side note, TransPortugal Garmin Race will tomorrow make a side pass by the village of Amareleja, where apparently the highest temperature on record in Portugal, some 47ºC (116ºF), was registered in 2003.