Good morning ladies and gentlemen, welcome to day number 2 of this year's Volta a Portugal - the first "real stage" after yesterday's kick-off. The stage is rated flat, but as you can see in the profile, there are some nasty hills near the finish.
But let's first talk about the start. From Lisbon, we followed the Tajo river about 35km upstream, arriving at our start location Vila Franca de Xira. Even though just about 20,000 people are living here, the city has a long industrial history, starting back in 1729 with Portugal's first tannery. Nowadays, the cement plant of Cimpor is one of the biggest employers in the district.
The route will then lead further northwards, then cross the Tajo river and come back southwards on the other side. Just two kilometers after the mid-stage mark, we'll have the second intermediate sprint in Almeirim.
But the race will (hopefully) really take off once we reach the peninsula of Setúbal, where will take place the remaining 50 kilometers of the stage. We'll start with a climb to Palmela, just a few kilometers north of the finish line in Setúbal. It's a category 4 hill again, culminating about with about 45km to go, but it's just an appetizer for what comes next.
Next is the category 3 climb (6, 4 and 2 points) to Alto das Necessidades after 170km, before we come to the last - and the main - obstacle of today: the 3rd category climb to Alto da Arrábida. This ascent consists of two very steep steps, with a short flat part in between. From the top, there are less than 15km left to the finish line - with another minor bump just after the descent.
We then have a slightly inclined home stretch in Setúbal, so let's see who's got the most left in the tank after this finale. By the way, Setúbal is just about 40km south of Lisbon, has about 50,000 inhabitants and a very long history, probably reaching back to the age of the Celts. The Romans were very active in fish processing, and nowadays it's known for the beautiful beaches and the Serra de Arrábida nature reserve.
We can safely conclude that at least the profile should allow for plenty of action. Let's hope there are many riders wanting to take profit from a race that will be hard to control, given the many steep inclines towards the end. The bookies definitely don't consider the pure sprinters to be among the favorites. Their number one is Bakelants, one of the best puncheurs, who can sprint quite well, too. Next are two punchy sprinters, Van der Lijke and Houle. Two stars for puncheurs Koretzky and Skujins, as well as for sprinter Reimer. Finally, Bobridge is the last puncheur making it on the list, along with Cerny, Modolo and Oss.
And now, let's get this 200km stage - not the longest, tomorrow we'll have 10 kilometers more - started!
Given the length of the stage, the riders seem to hesitate whether it's a good idea to attack early or not. Finally, after almost 10 calm kilometers, we have Hamza, Vendrame and Korsaeth launching the first attack!
They're followed by Stoltz, Orlov and Varga...
...but they don't make it far, as Vilela reels them in soon after.
Of course, it doesn't take long for the next handful of riders to attack. This time, it's Orlov again, Watson, Morne Van Niekerk, Daniel and Korsaeth trying again, too.
They are soon joined by Aydar Zakarin, Stoltz, Vichot and Van Aert.
But Vilela still isn't happy with this group - and gets all of them back.
Maybe this time? Stuyven, Pszczolarski and again Varga are trying their luck.
Morne Van Niekerk absolutely wants to be in that breakaway, too, so he chases them all alone.
Vilela is still towards the front of the peloton, but isn't chasing hard any more. Hibatullah, Vilela and Fritsch are now taking turns, but they're clearly slower than the escapees now.
And as Van Niekerk reaches the leading trio just ahead of the intermediate sprint, we now have our breakaway of the day at full strength. Given the rather hard end of the stage, they should have a real chance of upsetting the peloton.
The rider with the best chances should be Stuyven, as he's clearly the strongest puncheur and could make the difference on these three climbs towards the end. Should the stage end in a sprint, Pszczolarski would probably be the best bet. He does the hills pretty well, too.
But don't rule out Varga, either, as he's the strongest rider on the flat and has just an extraordinary fighting spirit! Van Niekerk surely needs to surprise the others, as he isn't the best on any terrain. He's a good time trialist, though, so he certainly knows how to pace himself.
The first intermediate sprint then is clearly won by Varga, ahead of Stuyven.
1. Varga - 6
2. Stuyven - 4
3. Pszczolarski - 2
Actually, Pszczolarski could have reduced his deficit on Dennis to zero by winning both intermediate sprints - it won't happen.
The peloton, led by Vilela, definitely has taken the foot off the gas, as they're already 3'43" back when they cross that same line.
The first KoM sprint then goes to Stuyven, as expected. However, it was really close against Pszczolarski.
The pack is already 6 minutes back at this point - but with more than 150km to go, that doesn't really mean anything.
And some spectators really do anything to be as close as possible to their idols - even hide in a sunflower field.
We've just passed the halfway mark, and therefore the leaders reach the second intermediate sprint. Again, it's Varga collecting maximum points.
1. Varga - 6
2. Stuyven - 4
3. Pszczolarski - 2
Identical result as we had 70 kilometers ago.
Even the peloton's deficit is almost identical, as they're 3'30" down right now. They've accelerated for some kilometers, and the gap has melted quickly under the burning sun.
It's still Sauber, Berg and EA Vesuvio leading the chase. But whereas EA Vesuvio with Van der Lijke have one of the top favorites for today's stage, it's much less sure that Coutinho will get over these hills in the front group. And it even seems really unlikely for Salleh, but maybe they just want to prove the bookies wrong. We'll see.
The bunch is about to reach the peninsula of Setúbal, meaning we're slowly approaching the three-hill finale. The tension's rising, as no-one really knows how this will play out. The gap is down to 3 minutes - but anything can still happen.
And here we are, we're already on top of the first categorized climb of this trilogy. Again, it's Stuyven taking maximum points, without any surprise.
It's looking good for Stuyven to claim the first KoM jersey of the race - but there are still 12 points at stake.
Meanwhile, Sauber is now even chasing with Hugentobler - their best puncheur - and of course, the gap goes down on that hill. 2'10" remaining. Hopefully, they'll be able to take something from this stage.
As soon as the first category 3 ascent starts, Stuyven tries to ride away. It'll be hard to sprint up these steep 1.2km, though!
Indeed, he imploded on the final meters, and so it's Pszczolarski drawing level with him in the standings:
However, Berg have now taken control and are pushing really hard. 1'47" for almost 30 kilometers - that's a really hard task for the breakaway! Especially given that the hardest climb is yet to come...
We even have some splits in the peloton. Current 2nd place Korsaeth is the most prominent rider caught behind - but that's no real surprise, to be honest. He's a great time trialist, but definitely no puncheur.
Now, that's a much bigger surprise! Stuyven is the first to fall back from the breakaway - his KoM sprint efforts were probably too exhausting.
The pack is 59" behind the Belgian and a further 17" behind the remaining trio.
Stuyven is caught by the peloton with 20 kilometers remaining - and the others are just 50 seconds ahead!
The riders are just reaching the end of the first "step" of this final climb, and we now have Kneisky and Fritsch pushing hard for Van der Lijke, who's sitting in about 10th position. We can see Ignatiev, Gallopin, Muhlberger, Mano, Pons, Fenn and Meintjes near the front, too. We're coming to the decisive stage of the race, that's for sure!
Pszczolarski tries to fend off a rapidly closing in peloton, and only Varga can keep up! Van Niekerk is done and will soon be reeled in.
And that's already done; he's been overtaken by a Kneisky tearing apart the peloton - hopefully all team leaders are attentive enough to avoid unnecessary gaps today!
In each case, the team's doing a great job for Van der Lijke, as are Vogt for Coutinho and Gallopin for Kreder. All three of these are still very well positioned.
Others are at the very end of the peloton: Ackermann, Te Brake, Bertilsson, Kalaba, Favilli - they really have to hurry up now, else they're definitely at risk of being distanced!
Pszczolarski is reeled in with about one kilometer to the top of the climb, whereas Varga almost makes it - but finally doesn't even get any points at all. The climb was 50 meters too long for him. And so, De Plus picks up the points just because he is leading the peloton over the top.
1. De Plus - 6
2. Gallopin - 4
3. Smit - 2
This means that Stuyven and Pszczolarski are still on par with 12 points each - so we'll only know when getting the stage results who is going to wear the jersey tomorrow.
The peloton was one long line over the top - and now we've got some serious gaps! Here we have the first chasing group, including GC leader Dennis and his leader Bobridge. Some other names:
Tvetcov
Chiarello
Modolo
Kirsch
Vosekalns
Vogt
Laengen
Moazemi
Zaini
Prevar
Paulus
Gebrezgabihier
Koretzky
... a total of 37 riders are 28" behind the main group. 10km to go.
But well, maybe we should mention that the main group only consists of 27 riders now, meaning lots of riders are still further behind! For example:
+ 1'00"
Skujins
Pelucchi
Betancourt
Dzamastagic
Bar
+ 1'48"
McCarthy
Carthy
Henao
Reimer
Sepulveda
Bakelants
Dall'Oste
Anuar Aziz
Bardet
Ackermann
Godoy
Venter
+ 2'32"
Buchmann
Moscon
This list is not exhaustive, of course. But who's actually remaining up front? We don't have the complete overview either, but at least we have the following names:
Monsalve
Meintjes
Carapaz
Ji
Schelling
Talansky
Konig
Preidler
Bennett
Oomen
Brenes
Bongiorno
Smit
Van der Lijke
Gallopin
Kreder
Coutinho
Houle
It's a messy situation, as had to be expected. Sorry again for not being able to give you complete lists of riders. But as there are 10 kilometers remaining, chances are high that the whole situation will be reshuffled anyway.
With 5 kilometers to go, Smit has taken control of the peloton - whose number of riders contained is yo-yoing - readers catch up, fall back, it's really confusing.
What we know is that Van der Lijke is in perfect position, just behind his teammate - but that's maybe a bit early?
3 kilometers remaining, and Smit is still leading. At least, we can now give you an overview of who is in this group:
Smit
Van der Lijke
Gallopin
Kreder
Harrison
Ji
Preidler
Varga
Houle
Bennett
Coutinho
Meintjes
Carapaz
Michely
Pons
Oomen
Brenes
Konig
Khederi
Schelling
Bongiorno
Talansky
Monsalve
Power is leading group Dennis, and he has almost restored the contact - but not quite. Group Skujins has now joined group Dennis as well, whereas there's not much hope left for Bakelants to come back today. What a bummer!
Smit is really going strong, which is proven by the fact that there seems to be a gap opening behind Houle in 7th position! And right behind the peloton, you can see that Power has made the jump to the front - but has left his teammates behind!
Anyway, with only two kilometers to go, we'll definitely focus on the sprint preparations now. Smit has been leading for more than three kilometers already - mostly downhill, though. Van der Lijke still has the perfect position for the final sprint.
Gallopin is doing a great job for Kreder, even though the latter must be careful not to lose his leadout's wheel!
And then, we have Harrison, Houle and - to the home crowd's big excitement - Coutinho, who are all on their own. That makes a sprint of 5, with Van der Lijke being the clear favorite - he's the best sprinter and the best puncheur, so he should have the most energy left!
Behind, Oomen's trying to catch up with this group of seven ahead - who officially doesn't have a gap yet. Anyway, it's a flat stage, and the judges aren't know to easily award gaps on these - which could be highly beneficial to Dennis & Co.!
Oh dear! Smit has really destroyed the peloton, with riders scattered all around the place! He clocks out with 1.5km to go - too early for Van der Lijke, it seems, as he just sits up, and the pace drops instantly. Could this be the chance for those who were inattentive before?
No, because Kreder loses his patience and launches the sprint under the red kite! Harrison takes his wheel, whereas Van der Lijke and Coutinho are already out in the wind. Houle seems to have missed the acceleration a bit and tries to get Harrison's wheel. Other riders don't seem to have a say today.
With 700m to go, Van der Lijke and Coutinho are almost on par with Kreder, while Harrison is still waiting. Houle now tries to follow Coutinho instead.
There's a slight bend in the large road with 500 meters left - and the ecstatic crowd signals that Coutinho is right in the mix for the win now! However, Van der Lijke is about level with him, and Houle and Harrison have now found a gap and are closing in very fast! Kreder definitely launched his sprint too early and is about to be overtaken by these two.
The lead has changed again, as it's now Houle ahead! He had a late start, but maybe he just perfectly timed his sprint! Coutinho is 2nd, Van der Lijke 3rd - but it's far from over, 300m to go!
200m remaining, and Houle still has a slight edge over the others. But Coutinho wants this home win and gives it all he's got left! Van der Lijke has again overtaken the Portuguese, though, and even Harrison still has great speed!
With just 100m left, Van der Lijke seems to have found another gear and he almost draws level with Houle! The three others only seem to be fighting for 3rd, with Coutinho currently on that spot.
Now it's the Portuguese coming back and Van der Lijke slightly fading, as Houle has again slightly increased his margin! What will the final 50 meters bring?
Hugo Houle is today's winner! He outsprints Nick Van der Lijke in an exciting sprint - and he claims the leader jersey with these 20 bonus seconds, no matter the gaps we might see! A perfect stage for the Canadian!
Lionel Coutinho edges out Sam Harrison for 3rd, while Michel Kreder will definitely not be happy with 5th, given how the sprint unfolded.
The sprint of the remaining peloton is won by Sam Oomen, claiming 6th place. 7th is Tony Gallopin, ahead of Gaetan Pons, Andrew Talansky and Mikhail Ignatiev, who concludes the Top 10.
It's rather a surprise that the judges actually award a gap of 13 seconds to the 5 sprinters who finished ahead - what will that mean for the other gaps we saw? We'll find out. But for now, let's mention the other riders receiving the same time as Oomen:
11. Varga - a great result after a long breakaway!
12. Monsalve
13. Meintjes
14. Michely
15. Bennett
16. Zakarin
17. Preidler
18. Schelling
19. Carapaz
20. Ji
21. Konig
22. Khederi
23. Brenes
24. Bongiorno
25. Smit
26. Kirsch
This means out of the preview GC Top 10, we're missing Bobridge, Chiarello, Sepulveda and Tvetcov.
Three of them come in with the next group, which is given a 33" gap. This group contains among others:
Dennis
Bobridge
Chiarello
Tvetcov
Vosekalns
Padun
Skujins
Vogt
Even worse for Koretzky and Betancourt, who lose 1'29". Carthy tried to sprint to this group in the end, but just failed and got a 1'54" gap.
The remaining missing GC contenders were all in the following group, 2'06" behind Houle. That's quite a shocker for a "flat" stage! And it's really inexplicable how so many strong riders - especially some of the best puncheurs - could be so inattentive with only 20 kilometers to go. But well, that's racing I guess...
Of course, where there are losers, there must be winners as well - and today, there's mainly one big winner:
Hugo Houle! He was smart enough to stay in 5th position or so, whereas Nick Van der Lijke, the big favorite among the remaining riders, was in 2nd position for quite a long time. This may have made the difference today.
The 3rd place of the stage goes to Lionel Coutinho, who surely can't be too unhappy with the result, but he was so close to a home win that this must still hurt!
As mentioned before, Hugo Houle takes over the GC as well, ahead of Nick Van der Lijke and Sam Harrison. With today's gaps, Carapaz is now the closest GC contender, 30" behind Houle. Dennis went all the way down to 15th - he must have definitely hoped for more.
But for some reason that hasn't been communicated, Rohan Dennis at least keeps the green jersey. He would have worn it anyway tomorrow, as Hugo Houle, who should actually have gotten it, can't wear two jerseys.
3rd place is shared between Truls Engen Korsaeth and Nick Van der Lijke.
The KoM jersey goes to Wojciech Pszczolarski, who is far ahead of Jasper Stuyven in the GC and therefore wins this tiebreaker. 3rd place goes to Laurens De Plus, who took the points on the last climb without even targeting them.
Sam Oomen already takes the white jersey after today's stage - and he's very likely to wear it all the way long, being the big favorite for this one. Joseph Areruya is 2nd, Robert Power 3rd.
After Grieg's and Bennelong's miserable performance today - not a single rider in the front group - it can't come as a surprise that we have a leader change in the team standings, too.
Delvaux had three riders in the Top 10 today, so they definitely are a worthy new leader now! ISA - Hexacta is 2nd, EA Vesuvio 3rd.
And guess who's by far the worst team? The one that probably worked hardest today for a 90th place as their best stage result - Sauber Petronas Racing. No, that definitely wasn't worth it.
Well, what a crazy stage finale that was! We were especially surprised by the judges who awarded gaps like almost never before on a flat stage. But that gives us an even more interesting situation for the upcoming stages. We've got a lot of losers today who surely want to make it better tomorrow - will that work out? Stay tuned for the longest stage of the tour - another "flat" one, if you know what I mean...
Volta a Portugal 
