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Volta a Portugal: former winners reveal the “secrets” of victory in Señora da Graça

Volta a Portugal: former winners reveal the “secrets” of victory in Señora da Graça

To win at the summit of Señora da Graça, you must be able to wait for the right moment to attack, with the last two kilometers of the ascent being noted by the former winners as the most decisive.

“I think, first of all, the big secret is not to rush. Climbing consists of two phases that are completely different, and usually the one who starts from the bottom never reaches the top,” Rui Souza said in a statement to Lusa’s agency.

A winner at the top of Senhora da Graça in 2012, the former cyclist claims it’s important “when you’re doing well, to get the team to type a very strong beat” since Mondim de Basto, although there are differences. it is valid in the last two kilometers, especially on the last “8.4” climb.

“That’s how I won there during the year, and so in recent years, which usually happens. All the athletes who start in the initial phase of the ascent, if you notice, almost never got there alone, ”said Souza, who is working for the organization on this tour of Portugal.

António Carvalho (Glassdrive-Q8-Anicolor) also sees the last two kilometers as decisive, but notes that his 2019 win “was a bit unusual” because he “ran off the start”.

“But I got into the lift in just 20 seconds or less, and then, in this case, it was knowing how to manage the effort. Having done the instep pull-up work a few times, I knew where to push and lift my foot. day, I remember how I deceived my rivals there, a kilometer from the finish line, to pretend that I had abandoned the stage. When I lifted my foot, they thought he was already dead, and I took the opportunity to accelerate again at full speed, ”he recalled.

The 83rd Volta a Portugal, who finished fourth in the overall standings, believes that “intelligence is more important than physical ability” in this triumph.

“I was always able to convey to my opponents that they could catch me whenever they wanted. And I thought just the opposite: they think they will catch me, but they won’t catch me, ”he said.

However, “Tony” knows that “in a compact composition it is already different.” “The difference is big in the last two kilometers. It’s a climb, or we have a strong team, as in our case, with three very strong cyclists, and we descend here very aggressively and go on the attack, or I just see the last two kilometers there to change something,” he assessed .

Gustavo Veloso warns that “it’s not easy to give an answer” about what the ideal tactic is to win at the top of Señora da Graça, although jokingly he says that “the secret is to hit hard on the rolls and get there higher.” and start hard the last 500 meters.”

“The strategy for winning Senhora da Graça is not only up to us. First, it’s a strategy if you have a team as strong as Glassdrive. what is fred [Figueiredo]who is the best climber, get there and make a difference. And if it’s not that kind of team, the strategy is to run with people with wasted time and then be skinny. Pull like others pull to get to the final part and be strong,” he compared.

For the sports director of Tavfer-Mortágua-Ovos Matinados, winner of the highest point of Monte Farinha in 2016, “it’s not the same as discussing the Señora da Graça stage in terms of a general or an escape.”

Despite being one of the most emblematic ascents of the Volta in Portugal, along with the Tower, and one of the most anticipated milestones of each edition, Señora da Graça did not cause a big “gap” between the candidates for the position of general, as evidenced by Rui. Souza.

“In the last few years, or since I’ve been riding these things, there’s never been a climb that has made a significant difference. It has always been a climb in which the cuts, which are one of the top favorites, take a very few seconds. High mountain From this Volta in Portugal, the one or the other that could change the situation was one of the two stages that passed [Torre e Observatório de Vila Nova]”, he clarified.

And, according to the former cyclist, the stage that today connects Paredes with Señora da Graça, with a total length of 174.5 kilometers, “is also not suitable, and the race will be discussed in the time trial”, which will close on Monday at around 83 hours . Portugal, today led by Frederico Figueiredo (Glassdrive-Q8-Anicolor).

Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal

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