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Soudal-QuickStep don’t appear too happy with this break – perhaps it’s too big? They’re pulling at the front of the peloton and have almost halved the gap, to just over a minute.
150KM TO GO
The gap between the break and the peloton is up to two minutes, but has ceased to grow as the peloton begin chasing.
160KM TO GO
So it’s very much a break of chancers, with two-thirds of it made up of native Portuguese riders.
Here are the nine rider in the break:
José Miguel Moreira (GI Group Holding – Simoldes – UDO)
André Ribeiro (GI Group Holding – Simoldes – UDO)
Diogo Narciso (Credibom / LA Alumínios / Marcos Car)
Bruno Silva (Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mortágua)
Noah Campos (Team Tavira / Crédito Agrícola)
Tomas Contte (Aviludo – Louletano – Loulé)
João Silva (Feira dos Sofás – Boavista)
We’ll have a full run-down of everyone in it shortly – there are no World Tour riders among them.
Over a minute for the nine-man break – it doesn’t appear the peloton is chasing them down.
170KM TO GO
It’s a large group, especially for a flat opening stage of a short stage race, but there doesn’t appear to be any notably dangerous riders in it.
A group of about 9 riders have established a gap on the peloton, this might be the break of the day.
A first glimpse of the riders out on the road today.
The parcours today is mostly flat, with only a couple of small category three climbs to take on in the second half of the stage, before a straightforward run-in to the finish in Tavira. So it should certainly be an opening stage for the bunch sprinters.
It’s a mild day out there in the Algarve, not quite the searing temperatures that attract tourists later in the year, but a reasonable 17 degrees.
And they’re off!
183KM TO GO
The riders are making their way through the neutralised zone in Vila Real de Santo António.
Here’s Oscar Onley at the start, one of…
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