Welcome to the eigth stage of the 2019 Volta a Portugal! We're slowly getting into the decisive stage of this race - today is the last chance for the puncheurs to really put a significant time gap between themselves and the better climbers!
Today's stage will be started in Lousada, about 40km North-East from Porto. There have been found traces of late Neolithic settlements, and quite many Roman constructions, too. Today, about 50,000 people are living here. Economically speaking, the textile industry is probably most important nowadays.
We'll then have kind of a large loop and we'll almost come back to Lousada. Just before, slightly after the stage's half-way mark, we'll have the first intermediate sprint in Penafiel. This means we don't have any categorized climb during the first half of the stage, but there are many smaller or bigger hills to tackle - it's a really bumpy profile!
After just bypassing Lousada, we'll have the only categorized climb on the way - there's the final ascent of course - which is the 4th category hill of Serra de Campelos. The riders will reach the summit with 60km to go.
Most of the stage's remainder will be downhill or flat, with two more intermediate sprints in Valongo (126km) and Santo Tirso (142km).
Just a bit more than 10 kilometers will be remaining from this last intermediate sprint - and it will be the hardest kilometers of the stage. The peloton will climb up to Monte Córdova, and will reach the finish line close to the Santuario De Nossa Senhora Da Assunçao. This church is one of the main monuments to see in this 5,000 people parish. The final climb counts moreover as 2nd category KoM sprint, so the winner will get 10 KoM points.
This profile with only one major and steep climb should really suit the puncheurs - at least those who haven't suffered too much in the previous stages. Therefore, it's no surprise that the bookies are once more listing the best of the hill specialists as today's stage favorites: Bakelants, Skujins and Bobridge should still be one level above the rest. McCarthy and Koretzky are next, followed by Vogt, Betancourt, Buchmann, Prevar and Anuar Aziz. While several of them already have a good stage result - remember for instance Koretzky's second place yesterday - others have yet to show that they're worthy of being on this list.
Let's see if one of our three top favorites finally gets a stage win, if it's once more going to be the stronger climbers taking it - or even the breakaway. Maybe just a word or two about the weather - it's cloudy once again, but at least the wind has gone.
The riders are ready, let's get stage number 8 started!
There are plenty of great possibilities to attack on this first part of the race, and Gesbert takes the first of them. With him is... of course: KoM leader Gebrezgabihier. I'm starting to think he just doesn't feel comfortable in the pack. This guy must have a fantastic recovery to do this day after day.
Chernetskiy is following them - one stage win isn't enough, so let's get another one today!
And we get some more attacks: Spengler has Vichot in his wheel, while Vassdal, Henao and Gallopin are trying to catch up.
The race's record is 19 breakaway riders, so we still have a long way to go. Wahyudi and Paulus add their part to a new record attempt.
Still no reaction in the pack. De Souza, Lander, Mancuso, Habtom, Fenn and Hänninen set an easy pace.
No more attempts, so the gap quickly goes up to 3 minutes. The breakaway of the day seems to be at full strength.
Chernetskiy would be the obvious favorite if the group makes it to the line. Gebrezgabihier matches his punch - but he might be slightly tired after all these breakaway days.
Paulus should definitely be considered, too, especially if the final hill should be too long for the pure puncheurs. Henao is an even better climber. Wahyudi and Vichot are good puncheurs too, but the latter may suffer a bit from his low climbing skills.
Gallopin is the group's best sprinter; if he manages to hold on with the stronger puncheurs, he might outsprint them on the final meters.
Gesbert may struggle even more, and I've simply got no clue how Spengler or Vassdal could win this stage. Are they preparing a team attack? Well, it should come on the flat, as that's where they're strong.
The pack's deficit is 3'24" now, and Harrison and Coutinho have joined those named before.
It's started raining once again. I always thought Portugal was one of those sunny countries - well, at least not during this tour. Moreover, the wind has come back as well. It's not as strong as it was in the last days, but still 15km/h. It may not be strong enough to create some gaps, but it will definitely hurt the leaders on the headwind parts.
The gap has shrinked a bit and is down to 2'25".
Just as yesterday, there's no sprint for the points - even though Chernetskiy could theoretically take the green jersey if he won all three intermediate sprints. Well, he didn't know or just doesn't care.
1. Gallopin - 6
2. Paulus - 4
3. Chernetskiy - 2
Chernetskiy remains in 5th place in the points standings. Maybe he just doesn't want to spend too much energy before the KoM climb? If he arrives first, he can tie Gebrezgabihier's 24 points - if the latter doesn't score.
The peloton is 2'17" behind when crossing this line. Half of the race is done - not much action until now, and that's likely not to change until the final 10 kilometers.
The front group is about to start the categorized part of the climb starting right after the intermediate sprint. It's just a category 4 climb, not even 3 kilometers long. The KoM standings won't be shaken up completely with this one.
Gesbert is the first to make a move, but everyone follows. The race hasn't been too hard so far, and it's not a really steep climb. Let's see if he can pull it through.
No, he gets outsprinted by Gallopin on the final meters, but at least doesn't crack and takes 2nd.
1. Gallopin - 5
2. Gesbert - 3
3. Chernetskiy - 1
With this one point, Chernetskiy moves up from 4th to tied 3rd, matching Stuyven's 20 points. Gebrezgabihier keeps the lead for now - but the final climb could definitely shake things up.
And by the way, you may have noticed that the rain is gone, and even the sun's shining from time to time. The wind is still there, though.
It doesn't really come unexpected that Vassdal couldn't keep up with the others. He's 1'09" behind the front group, now reduced to 9 men, and 1'03" ahead of the peloton. That's what you call no man's land, I guess.
On the downhill, Berg have taken the control with 3 men - Fernandes, Vilela and Vogt! The German obviously doesn't consider himself to be a stage favorite, but rather tries to help Chiarello get a good result. OK.
Another intermediate sprint, another one not contested at all.
1. Vichot - 6
2. Gallopin - 4
3. Paulus - 2
It can be noted that Gebrezgabihier hasn't done much work today - actually none at all. Paulus has worked hard for his teammate, though - will this make a difference on the final climb?
We'll soon know, as there are just 27 kilometers left!
But the peloton is now moving really fast, with Khederi setting a high pace.
Just 1'08" remaining, it doesn't really look good for the breakaway today.
What doesn't look too good, either, is that Monsalve, Schelling, Tvetcov, Kirsch and Padun, among others, are close to the rear of the peloton - there's still enough time to get into a better position, but they should rather hurry up!
Obviously, the guy who saved his legs all day long goes into the attack now! Gebrezgabihier tries his luck with 24km to go - and the others aren't able to reply right away!
But they play the numbers, and close the 30" gap just after the final intermediate sprint. Gebrezgabihier gets this one, at least.
Only 10km to go, and the pack is just 34" behind the breakaway! If they don't stop chasing right away - for whatever reason - I don't see a path to success for the breakaway here.
But succeeding might be rather difficult as well for Monsalve, Kirsch, Tvetcov, Konig, Bongiorno, Padun, Chiarello, Schelling or Meintjes, as they're really far back in the pack! On the other side - near to the front - are mainly the puncheurs: Koretzky, Bobridge, Bakelants, Skujins, Anuar Aziz, Prevar. Talansky is somewhere in between.
Just 4km to go until the start of the final climb.
Let's just take a look at what is waiting for the riders in an instant. This hill seems to be really perfect for the puncheurs - well, maybe a tad long, with just over 5 kilometers. It isn't really steep, with the final 1,500m being even the easiest part. At least, we should get a good sprint!
And given the bad positioning of Monsalve with 10km to go - might his yellow jersey even be at risk?
Here we go, the climb is on! The escapees are still a few seconds ahead of the pack, but with the high speed set by Kastrantas and Ackermann, they won't stay ahead for long I guess!
By the way, Monsalve et al. have made it to the first third of the peloton - but they're mostly still far away from the likes of Bobridge, who's currently 3rd in the GC.
Finally, it's Stoltz who reels in the last breakaway riders - under bright sunshine - , after the group exploded already on the first meters of the climb.
Right behind him is the Festina train with Vuillermoz - Ackermann - Koretzky, followed by Bobridge, Skujins and Prevar. Talansky, Bakelants, Buchmann and Meintjes are in an excellent position, too.
Some positions behind are Anuar Aziz, Kirsch, Konig, Monsalve, Schelling and Bennett - but they're surely not out of contention yet, given that we've still got 4km of climbing!
With 3.5km remaining, we have reached the steepest slopes - and that's exactly where Koretzky launches his attack! Skujins and Bobridge react immediately and take his wheel.
Koretzky abandons his move as he realizes he can't get clear (yet), and Skujins continues to push now. Bobridge is in his wheel, followed by Prevar and Bakelants. Buchmann and Anuar Aziz are the next great puncheurs down the road, with Talansky being the first of the GC contenders.
And now it's Bobridge attacking the yellow jersey, with just 2.5km to the finish line! He's only 40" back; if he wins the stage, he only needs to gain 20 seconds on Monsalve!
Skujins, Bakelants and Koretzky are following, while Prevar wasn't able to. Lane and Bayly are actually 5th and 6th currently - but they won't be able to hold on, will they?
Buchmann, Anuar Aziz, Meintjes, Talansky and a very strong Chernetskiy are next. We can then spot Chiarello, Kirsch, Konig, Bennett, and finally Monsalve with Schelling in his wheel. Bongiorno, Padun and Oomen are in the leader's surroundings, too. Preidler and Carapaz are struggling to keep up, though!
2 kilometers to go for Bobridge, who has a small gap on Skujins, Bakelants and Koretzky. It's finally the puncheurs dominating this finale!
But beware of Meintjes, who's left the rest of the pack behind and is looking very strong! Chiarello and Konig have now accelerated as well - what will the next 2,000 meters bring?
First of all, we see an amazingly strong Meintjes, who has reeled in the puncheur trio of Skujins, Bakelants and Koretzky! The climb actually seems to be too long for them, so that the climbers might take over now.
But Bobridge is still holding on to his lead - he really wants this stage win and the yellow jersey!
Chiarello is leading the pack, with Konig, Kirsch, Bennett and Prevar with him. Padun has made good a lot of positions, too, and so has Bongiorno in his slipstream. Monsalve is still a bit further behind and seems to wait a bit longer for his final push.
Last kilometer! Meintjes continues his great ride and has taken the lead ahead of Bobridge! Bakelants, Skujins and Koretzky are some meters behind the leading duo, and are about to be joined by Chiarello, Konig, Bennett and Kirsch.
Padun is still moving forward and has left behind Areruya, Buchmann and Calmejane. Prevar, Monsalve and Oomen follow behind, along with Bongiorno, Schelling and Tvetcov. Ji is even further back, and Talansky has completely imploded!
We've already talked about Bobridge aiming to take the yellow jersey - but let's just mention Meintjes is only 48" back, too! And he really seems to be on a mission now, he's clearly the strongest so far! But there are still 600m to go, and we've already seen plenty of riders cracking after an early strong move!
Bobridge is really tenacious, though, and still holds on to 2nd. Bakelants, Koretzky, Bennett, Skujins and Konig are only a few meters behind him.
Meanwhile, a very strong Padun has already left behind Kirsch and caught up with Chiarello!
Just to have a better overview, here's the current situation:
There is someone cracking - it's not Meintjes, who has extended his lead to 13", but Bobridge! Bennett and Konig have caught up with him, whereas Bakelants, Skujins and Koretzky are still some meters behind. Clearly, the climbers have taken over and are leaving the puncheurs behind!
Padun and Chiarello are closing in, too, whereas Oomen is about to overtake Kirsch. Schelling has now passed Monsalve, who is taking the Swiss' wheel. He's 30" behind Meintjes - which means he'd lose the jersey! He absolutely needs to gain back a few seconds, as the bonus seconds seem to be out of reach!
400m to go.
Konig has taken 2nd place now with only 300m left! The Czech has lost some seconds yesterday and is about to gain them back on a lot of riders!
Not on Meintjes, however, who is still looking really strong! Bennett and Bobridge are in an intense fight for 3rd meanwhile, whereas Koretzky, Bakelants and Skujins just don't seem to be able to gain these few missing meters back!
Padun is still going fast, too, having left behind Chiarello. Oomen and Schelling are now on level terms with Kirsch, who will very probably lose his 2nd place in the GC!
Behind, Tvetcov and Calmejane have passed Monsalve, who is really not looking good at all! Fixing his bad position from 10km to go may have cost him too much energy! But he still has two teammates with him who might help him on the final meters, Ssabagwanya and Carthy. Buchmann and Areruya are in this group, too.
With 200m to go, we seem to have a clear winner today, as Meintjes is showing no signs of weakness!
Konig has extended his gap on Bobridge, who in turn has left behind a fading Bennett. Maybe these final meters are for the puncheurs again?
Meintjes is celebrating with 100 meters still to go - at least it's not on a 10% slope like Monsalve did two days ago!
Konig seems to be set for 3rd, while Bakelants and Koretzky have now caught Bennett and are finally closing in on Bobridge! Skujins seems to have not much left, but let's see.
Padun hasn't come closer to the front, it seems like he'll have to settle for 8th. Behind him is Schelling, who's leading the yellow jersey group ahead of Tvetcov, Oomen, Chiarello and Buchmann.
Calmejane and Kirsch are next, while Ssabagwanya and Carthy have now overtaken their leader Monsalve and will try to help him gain back a few seconds!
What a strong showing by Louis Meintjes! Not only does he win the stage in a dominant way, he is also likely to take the yellow jersey today!
Konig seems to be set for 2nd, whereas Bobridge will have to defend his 3rd place against fellow puncheurs Bakelants and Koretzky! Skujins has overtaken a completely empty Bennett, who is even in danger of losing another spot to Padun!
Leopold Konig indeed takes 2nd place today, gaining back a lot of the places he lost yesterday. Very strong performance! He loses 12" on today's winner.
19" back is Jack Bobridge, who indeed defends his 3rd place and hence is the best puncheur of the day. But once more, the final climb was just a tad too long for him. He will definitely lose one place to Meintjes in the GC - but he might still pass both Monsalve and Kirsch.
And given that the clock is already at 19", Meintjes just needs 9 more seconds on Monsalve to be the new race leader!
The next riders are given the same time as Bobridge, i.e. 19". Clement Koretzky outsprints Jan Bakelants for 4th place by a few inches, whereas Toms Skujins gets 6th.
George Bennett saves a few inches on Mark Padun, giving it all he had left. That's 7th and 8th for these two, still with a 19" gap.
This gap then goes up to 36" as Patrick Schelling crosses the line in 9th place. The Top 10 are rounded out by Serghei Tvetcov. Emanuel Buchmann and Sam Oomen are next.
You've surely already noticed that with the current gap, Louis Meintjes is indeed our new race leader! For Bobridge, it would take 15 more seconds to pass Monsalve as well, but he can already be sure to at least stay in 3rd place, having passed Kirsch by now.
Let's look at the next riders coming in:
13.
Lilian Calmejane
+ 48"
14.
Samuel Ssabagwanya
+ 48"
15.
Hugh Carthy
+ 48"
16.
Andris Vosekalns
+ 56"
17.
William Chiarello
+ 56"
18.
Daniel Alexander Jaramillo
+ 56"
19.
Damiano Caruso
+ 56"
20.
Alex Kirsch
+ 56"
Yes, you're right: Two of the leader's teammates have already finished the race - and Monsalve couldn't even hold their wheels! He must have completely cracked on that final kilometer!
Here he is - it's the 21st place for him, with a deficit of 1'12"! He really seemed to be in control two days ago, and even yesterday after his puncture he finished in the Top 10 - and today he loses so much time. This must have been a bad day in combination with bad positioning - you just can't afford that on this level!
But still, nothing's lost yet. If he finds back to his great form on the mountain stage, the gaps could easily be much higher than today!
And he definitely wasn't the only rider having a bad day. Preidler and Carapaz finish with him, but Bongiorno and Ji lose 25" more.
But the biggest loser today must be Talansky, who crosses the line 2'05" after today's winner! At least, this gives us some heavy rotation in the Top 10, which we'll have a look at in a few moments, when we'll see our new leader on stage!
And here he is - Louis Meintjes! He wins today's stage ahead of Leopold Konig - two riders who both had a very bad position with 10km to go, but were able to gain a lot of places withtout wasting too much energy. Jack Bobridge in 3rd place showed that the puncheurs had their word to say today as well, but just wasn't able to finish off a great performance.
As we've already said many times now, Louis Meintjes takes as well the GC lead after his great win! He jumps up from 6th to 1st, whereas former leader Monsalve drops to 4th. New 2nd is Jack Bobridge, 23" behind - which means that by simply winning tomorrow's stage from a reduced bunch sprint, he couldn't take the jersey, he'd need to distance Meintjes for that.
And from 5th to 3rd place moves George Bennett! He definitely isn't one of the most aggressive riders, but his consistent results get him a provisional GC podium!
In general, there have been several place switches inside the Top 10, but there's only one new name inside: Konig makes his comeback, after a very strong stage today, jumping up from 14th to 8th. It's the other way round for Talansky, who drops from 4th to 15th, after he looked so good during more than half of the climb.
In general, the gaps inside the Top 10 remain pretty much unchanged: Tvetcov, who stays in 10th place, is now 1'19" behind the leader compared to 1'11" pre-stage. Behind, the gaps have definitely grown, but we still have a very tense situation right now!
He may have lost the yellow jersey, but at least he keeps the green one: Yonathan Monsalve still leads this standing - but with just 2 tiny points on Jack Bobridge and Toms Skujins! Both of these have a huge chance of taking this jersey tomorrow, given the short final hill really made for puncheurs. And Bobridge should be able to score as well on the final ITT stage, making him maybe the top favorite for this jersey now. But it's still very close, too, and any outcome seems to be possible.
Which is definitely the case as well for the KoM jersey! Neither Amanuel Gebrezgabihier, who retains the lead, nor Damiano Caruso, who's just 2 points back, have scored today. Sergey Chernetskiy got one point, making him tied for 3rd now with Jasper Stuyven.
But remember: Even just winning the HC KoM sprint on stage 10 is worth 20 points - and there are two category 1 climbs, too. So we'll definitely have the main fight for that jersey in two days.
Mark Padun not only defends his white jersey today, he even extends the lead by a few seconds and leads now 20" ahead of Sam Oomen. The latter is a much better time trialist, though, as we already mentioned in the preview. So the Ukranian will need to gain some more seconds if he wants to have a chance of defending white on the final day.
Laurens De Plus didn't have a great day today, but still easily defends his 3rd place. He's now 2'37" back - but still more than two minutes ahead of Frankiny in 4th.
And guess what? For the first time in the whole race, we have a team defending the lead in the team standings - and not only defending, but extending! The whole podium remains the same, actually, with Bennelong - Mitchelton now leading by 1'36" on Isostar - LimeBike and 2'13" on Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam.
But the first 5 teams are still within about 3 minutes, which should give us a nice fight on the remaining stages.
And that's all for today. We do have a rather unexpected new leader, but the final climb was harder than expected - and slightly too long for the pure puncheurs - and on the other hand, even the strongest can sometimes have a bad day. Which is good, as it brings some more tension back into the race - stay tuned for more action tomorrow!
Volta a Portugal 
