Trans Portugal Race

Jose Silva And The 3 Musketeers

News Release / 14.05.2014

The entourage of Transportugal Race 2014 left Unhais da Serra still with fresh memories of the stay on the wonderful luxury hotel H2OTEL. But the destiny today was Termas de Monfortinho.

The first athlete to get there was, once more, José Silva, who has made a poker of victories with this fourth win in a row. He is not going to make things easy for the others until the end of the race. Even on a route that conceded some rest after a very harsh stage he kept a high pace in order to keep widening the gap between in and the second place. These minutes can be precious if something wrong happens on a future stage!

The high moment of the day, the image that sums up it all, was the arrival of a trio simultaneously.

Kate Aardal, Malcolm Bruton and Luís Cordeiro crossed the finish line ex-aequo. They were immediately baptized the ‘Three Musketeers’ by José Silva, which makes him to be D’Artagnan! They crossed the line with huge smiles on their faces that became a hug once they upped-off their bikes. It was a moment of bonding and complicity between riders that shared the experience of finishing the harsh stages of the Transportugal Race. So far, it was the most emotional ending of a stage!

When the athletes of the pack gathered around the finish line for resting and feeding, they changed opinions about the today’s stage and one thing they had in common - to climb Monsanto's uphill was the best part of the day!

Good Shape

The fourth stage of Transportugal Race 2014 linked Unhais da Serra to Termas de Monfortinho on a distance of 107 km with an overall climbing accumulated of 1739m+. The stage was accomplished under the heating sun, which made it warmer than any other so far. The athletes were cautious, drunk lots of liquids and applied tons of sun block to avoid skin burns. The pace was high, showing that the racers are in good shape forming a competitive group. Nevertheless, the wind was a worthy opponent for a few of the light weight cyclists, stopping them to get to their best level.

Three At The Same Time

Kate Aardal was as usual the leader of the stage for many kilometers but was caught for José Silva that rode on a very intense pace, even if he was resting a bit.

On the last check-point before the finish line he was already on the lead, followed by Kate Aardal and Luís Cordeiro. However, the Italian Raffaele Verzella and the Belgium Eric Deffilet were too in great shape during this stage. José Silva was the winner and the second place was awarded ex-aequo to Kate Aardal, Luís Cordeiro and Malcolm Bruton. In fifth place came Daniel Hoedemaekers who is getting better on every stage. 

The highlight of this stage of Transportugal was the beautiful village of Monsanto, known as the most Portuguese village of Portugal. The athletes are always welcomed here, mingling with the locals that took the chance to enquire about the race. There were even a few athletes that took pictures to bring home a bit more of this village rather than only the memories of the wonderful place, almost frozen in time with all the authenticity of the old days.

Turning Point

The fifth stage of Transportugal Race 2014 will carry the athletes from Termas de Monfortinho to Castelo de Vide. This stage is the turning point, since the racers will face a new Portuguese region, leaving Beira-Baixa heading towards Alto Alentejo. This change will be noticed on the landscape characteristics with less granite, more level routes and higher temperatures.

Moreover, the weather forecast for the next few days indicates the temperature rising for this region of Portugal. From Termas de Monfortinho to Castelo de Vide the riders will have to ride for 144 kilometers with an overall accumulated climbing of 2186m+.

You can follow the Transportugal Race 2014 in real time at http://new_live.flymaster.net/embed/499

­