Portugal national squad for Worlds

by semprenaroda on Sep 19, 2008 8:50 PM EDT

Even if you don’t care about portuguese national team in Olympics, is my duty to my country to announce here. And, if some portuguese win anything in next week, you will blame me for not having written anything about them... lol

So, ours hops will be in sub23, Rui Costa (Benfica) and Vitor Rodrigues (Liberty Seguros) will be our leaders. The parcous isn’t perfect for them, the last year suits better, this one is a quite flat. Anyway, Costa can sprint too, in a small group he can win. If finish in a bunch sprint, Marco Cunha will be at service, a top15/10 would be good. The gregarios will be João Benta (Santa Maria da Feira/E.Lecrec), Henrique Casimiro (Tavira/Palmeiras Resort) e César Fonte (Benfica). Here, Portugal should work in peloton, this two are true favorites to win, i think.

Rui Costa and Vitor Rodrigues will be in time trial race too.

In elite, Sérgio Paulinho (Astana) will be the leader, these days at Vuelta he already decided with Bettini when will execute the victorious attack. The rest of the team are climbers, the one that could sprint too is Candido Barbosa, but he refuse to participate justifying a long season!! (bullshit). So Tiago Machado (Madeinox-Tavira) and José Mendes (Benfica) both with 23 years old are possible surprises, Machado maybe, he have a great future for sure. Nuno Ribeiro (Liberty Seguros) despite is nice 28th in Olympics, this profile is worse for him. Nelson Vitorino and Ricardo Mestre (Palmeiras Resort-Tavira) are the others riders, the first is a veteran with 33, Mestre have 25, but both feels better in mountains.

The tactics here is, attack, attack and attack!! If can’t, stay at least in the peloton. No time trial elite race for Portugal.

In sub23 I’m anxious to see the race, not the same feeling in elites because only if a miracle happens ,we can see something like Athens 2004.

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didn't Costa win a few U23 UCI races this year?

by lyne on Sep 19, 2008 10:27 PM EDT reply actions

stages yes

but races didn’t. Second in three races of Nations Cup. Giro dele Regioni (Italy), other race in Canada (with a ITT win), and second again in Le Tour d’Avenir.

Vitor Rodrigues win the Grand Prix de Portugal (nations cup stage too).

by semprenaroda on Sep 19, 2008 10:43 PM EDT up reply actions

thanks

I remember the name from the Coupe du Monde in Canada.

by lyne on Sep 20, 2008 1:10 AM EDT up reply actions

Irish Teams Announced

Hope you don’t mind me piggy-backing on this thread but it’s hardly worth a thread of its own.

Dan Martin will be riding the U23 Road Race, with Ronan McLouglin and Conor McConvey to help him. Team GB’s Ian Stannard whines isnotfair:

"I don’t really think it’s right. Both those riders [Dan Martin and John-Lee Augustyn] are in big teams and they’ve done some big races, which counts for a lot against the guys who have been racing at the under-23 level. I think once you’ve moved up, you should keep trying to move forward."

For the real race, it’ll be Nicolas Roche and Philip Deignan. They’ll be joined by the surprise choice of Roger Aiken, who rides locally and was in the national squad for both the Rás and the Tour of Ireland.

pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway

by fmk on Sep 20, 2008 9:17 AM EDT reply actions