Squad:
Pedro Nicácio
Daniel Allonca
Bruno Santos
André Vital
Antonio Carvalho
Nelson Oliveira
Rodrigo Nascimento

Goal: Top10 + stage win

Result: Bruno Santos 1st (Stage 14 and 21), Pedro Nicácio 7th (GC)



Comment: Always a big event, Tour of America, has counted with our participation once more. With our top5 in the America Tour goal in mind we sent a decent squad to fight for secondary objectives given the competitive field featured in this Continental GT. Nicácio has proved in the past he could fight for a top10 which would always be a nice result. This year with so many TT kms we were counting on another good performance from him. He started well finishing 3rd on the first test for the GC men on stage 6. But when the mountains came things started to complicate. The TTT didn't help much either, but Pedro never lost his composure and was able to keep himslef positioned on the lower ranks of the top10. Stage 13's ITT was his time to shine and he almost took the victory only to be beaten by race leader Kashechkin. More mountains came but nothing that would break our brazilian's confidence. Stage 20 confirmed what was already settled by then. 7th place overall repeating his last performance. In between these happenings, Santos was looking for his time to shine in the sprints, and after some lost opportunities in the first week, the reduced number of challengers in the second and last week provided the chance he needed to catch 2 brilliant stage wins in Stage 14 and 21, thus ending this race in the best possible way.

Squad:
Francisco Ventoso
Samuel Caldeira
Bruno Borges
Bruno Pires
Lionel Coutinho
Ricardo Ferreira
Luis Afonso

Goal: Podium, stage win

Result: Francisco Ventoso - 1st (Stage 2, 7 and GC)



Comment: We would be lying if we were to say this race wasn't a big goal for us. Tailor-made for Ventoso, the Tour of Britain was one of the most anticipated race in Prio-Porto's calendar. The expected clash between our spaniard and home hero Bellis was a real lure to this event. Things started off well with a victory right on stage 2 and Ventoso getting the yellow jersey. The peloton began thinking the race could be already won. But they were wrong. Sram-Riboxx and their leader Haussler took the lead from us and dominating the race in a way many people had not predicted. Even the supposedly deciding hilly stages 5 and 6 were sort of 'neutralized' by the germans. However something spectacular was about to unfold. Flat rated stage 7 provided a number of dangerous hills at the end. Sensing a good opportunity, UPS's Gavazzi put in a courageous attack, only followed by none other than Francisco Ventoso. Yes our talented leader was on the offensive. The climb proved too tough for the italian but our captain was able to distance everyone and made use of the descent to capitalize on what came to be the most decisive move of the race. Stage 8 became a pure formality as Fran got to show his beautiful yellow jersey to the bystanding brits.

Squad:
Rubén Plaza
Jose Mendes
Óscar Avelino
José Martins
Carlos Baltazar
Bruno Silva
Rui Pedro Vinhas
Marc Machado

Goal: Top10

Result: Óscar Avelino - 37th



Comment: Second and last wildcard of the year, the premiere of the Lisbon Classic represented an opportunity to show our colours on home ground in a PT event. A huge day for us. As leaders we've brought Plaza, Mendes and Avelino. Having finished his CT calendar our leader Plaza was here for his team mates more than anything else, with Avelino has our protected rider and Mendes with a free role if he were to find his legs on the later slopes. The PT peloton got a hold of our intentions right from the beggining when we showed our men commanding the pack in the first half of the race. As it could be expected the decision came down to a mass sprint, and our sprinter Avelino was fortunate enough to be among the top sprinters of the international scene. But unexpectedly Óscar's bike gears got jammed at the worst moment. Avelino could only finish 37th. A very anonymous race in front of our supporters, a shame we will have to carry till the end of the season.

Squad:
Francisco Ventoso
Jose Mendes
Bruno Borges
Luis Afonso
Carlos Baltazar
Bruno Silva
Ricardo Ferreira

Goal: Podium

Result: Francsico Ventoso - 6th



Comment: The first of two canadian classics in October was scheduled to take place in the town of Quebec City. A relatively easy course through a lumpy fkat-rated circuit of circa 200km. Ventoso has struggled in flat races before this season but with his victory in Britain we were confident he could produce at least a podium here. Main adversaries here were the same as in Great Britain: the always meanecing germans of Rothaus and Sram. The race unfolded as it was expected with a break of four getting clear at the beggining, surely meant to be caught sooner or later in the day. However, contrary to all odds, the game of cat and mouse in the pack led to a negligent gap to widen till it was impossible to be erased before the finish line. The escapees were able to take the discussion of the race to themselves relegating the peloton to a fight for the fifth place. Ventoso showed he was on one of his days once again, sprinting head-to-head with Geschke who eventually relegated him to 6th.

Squad:
Francisco Ventoso
Jose Mendes
Bruno Borges
Luis Afonso
Carlos Baltazar
Bruno Silva
Ricardo Ferreira

Goal: Podium

Result: Francisco Ventoso - 1st



Comment: Second round in Canada, now in Montreal in a tougher setting around the Mont Royal climb, which was expected to turn the race a little bit more selective than its predecessor. Same squad here for us and same opponents as well. As it was expected in the final laps the race provided the excitment everyone was looking for. Cataldo was the initiator, breaking away with a few contenders. Right away Ventoso set in a pursuit with a few more of the favourites. A reduced group was formed, and was only about to be joined by a few others in the last time we passed the single climb of the day. Cataldo once again distanced himself, this time in a decisive bid for the win, with only a couple o kms in front of him. The group didn't autorise that as he was swallowed by the storming sprinters. Being in his natural element Ventoso was required to seal what seemed to be a formality for him. Another huge victory from the fast spaniard.

Squad:
Marc Machado
Daniel Allonca
Ricardo Ferreira
Antonio Carvalho
Carlos Baltazar
Bruno Silva
Lionel Coutinho


Goal: Top15

Result: Marc Machado - 24th



Comment: This one-day race was prone to be irrelevant in the big picture. On the other hand it was probably the most important event in Machado's schedule, being a flat C1 cobbled race in his home land. Odds were against him though with most of the Continental cobblers having chosen not to miss the last european stroll through the pavé. The race in itself became quite boring with no major attacks in the last sections. Our leader wasn't on his best either. The peloton led itself to the expected sprint. With so many good finishers in that group, Machado had no chance to compete for a good result. 24th was all he could achieve.

So, onto the worlds we go.

Squad:
Jose Mendes
Luis Afonso
Carlos Baltazar
Bruno Borges
Ricardo Ferreira
Bruno Silva
Rui Pedro Vinhas

Goal: Top10

Result: Jose Mendes - 11th



Comment: As the first of our three last races we were hoping Mendes could start October with a top10 which wouldn't be an easy task to ask him. He fell just one place short of that goal but that wasn't supposed to detain us in this last dash to the end of the season.

Squad:
Óscar Avelino
Samuel Caldeira
Antonio Carvalho
Nelson Oliveira
Lionel Coutinho
Bruno Santos
José Martins

Goal: Top10

Result: Óscar Avelino - 25th



Comment: Last race for Avelino to help us fight for promotion. Paris-Tours is known as a race for sprinters but in the end there was a late hill which proved to be decisive, letting a russian escape and robb the sprinters of their promised victory. Avelino wasn't going to have any impact on the final sprint though having buried his last strengths in that final climb.

Squad:
Francisco Ventoso
Jose Mendes
Bruno Borges
Luis Afonso
Carlos Baltazar
Ricardo Ferreira
Rui Pedro Vinhas
Marc Machado

Goal: Top10

Result: Jose Mendes - 8th



Comment: Last call for Prio - Porto the Giro dell'Emilia was meant to be raced as a decisive race for pretty much every team taking part. Ventoso and Mendes faced the toughest opposition they could think of but in the end it played quite good for us. Even though none of them had the legs to challenge their toughest rivals, Mendes could hold onto 8th place which may be just about what we need to score a promotion. From now on there are plenty of nails to be bitten.