Trans Portugal Race

Jose Silva Widening the Gap

News Release / 14.05.2014

The third stage of Transportugal Race 2014 connected the city of Guarda, the highest city of Portugal, to Unhais da Serra on a distance of 108 km and an overall climbing of 3069m+. With no surprises, José Silva won for the third time in a row! So far the competitors had no chance to get to first place.

The Portuguese cyclist arrived 33 minutes in front of the second classified Kate Aardal. However, the Norwegian athlete will not unhand the second place that she also won for the third time in a row.

But the greatest achievement of today’s stage was the third place by Luís Cordeiro. The Portuguese athlete has been pursuing a podium classification in Transportugal Race since the competition started in Bragança and he finally made it in this stage!

Keeping strong on the top, the New Zealander Malcolm Bruton ended the stage in fourth place. He is in great shape and has clearly shown it once more on this stage. If he keeps fighting this way, he will be one of the favourites to get a final podium.

On the top five riders emerged an intruder. His name is Daniel Hoedemaekers and travels from the Netherlands. His good natural climbing ability allowed him to beat everybody fighting for the fifth place in the stage. The Belgium Peter Roelands, on the other hand, failed to maintain the level he achieved in the last two stages and arrived in the top 15.

Good Weather

The ascent gain of the third stage is the highest of the competition, therefore is it predictable that the route contains some of the race most mythical spots. One is the ridge of Santinha, the highest peak in Transportugal Race. Dispite all the difficulties of this unique stage, the pack was blessed with a good and mild weather which allowed them to get to this point a little better than otherwise. But there is always a catch on these races – the strong wind made things a bit harder towards the end passing by Piornos, the glacier Valley of Zêzere Rive that takes you to Unhais da Serra. 

Climbers Day

This stage was ideal for the climbers and for the ones that can take long climbs without losing too much energy. Unfortunately, not everybody is like that and a natural selection took place. Some of athletes even gave up the stage due to the effort made. Still, last year in this stage there were a lot less finishers than in this edition. This clearly shows that the riders of Transportugal Race are getting more and more aware of the harshness they will have to face.   

On the granitic landscape of Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain in mainland Portugal, the athletes who afforded themselves to look at the beautiful panoramic views also enjoyed the local fauna and flora. The green fields, the beautiful blue sky and the imposing mountain with remains of snow on the ridge, altogether are like an illustrated postcard. It’s a memory to keep!  

Visiting Monsanto

The fourth stage is going to connect Unhais da Serra to Monfortinho through 108 km with an overall climbing accumulated of 1739m+. In Transportugal Race there is no such thing as an easy stage, however tomorrow's stage will be for sure less physically demanding than today's. There will be fast downhill trails and some hard climbs but the pack is going to rest a bit after all the effort to get to Unhais da Serra. The way toward Monfortinho is one of the most agreeable in the race with a passage through the beautiful and remote village of Monfortinho.

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