Defending António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) outsprinted Alex Aranburu (Cofidis) to take a repeat win of the Figueira Champions Classic in Figueira da Foz.
Aranburu opened up his sprint first, with 200 metres to go, but Morgado was able to come alongside and powered to the line to take his second victory of the season after clinching the Trofeo Calvià two weeks ago.
The pair was part of a seven-rider group that pulled away the final time up the Rua Parque Florestal climb inside of 20 kilometres to go. Powered by Morgado’s teammate Brandon McNulty, the break was able to hold off the reduced peloton even though six teams put a rider in the rotation to try and bring the move back.
Morgado countered an attack by Aranburu with seven kilometres to go, on the slopes of the Enforca Cães and the duo would continue on to battle for victory, with Aranburu mostly sitting on up until the flat final kilometre.
Crossing the line nine seconds later, Pau Marti (NSN) took third ahead of Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché) who was fourth.
Originally scheduled to cover 192.7km, as strong winds lashed Portugal’s central coast the route was shortened by roughly 15km in the initial section leading to the four finishing circuits. However, the race was always to be decided on the classic finishing circuit, where the climbs of Rua Parque Florestal and Enforca Cães played their usual key role in deciding the outcome.
How it unfolded
For the fourth edition of the race, organisers increased the field to 24 teams divided into eight WorldTour, seven ProTeams and nine Portuguese Continental teams. The early breakaway formed immediately after the start, with Rafael Reis (Anicolor-Campicarn), Pedro Pinto (Efapel), Daniel Viegas (Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé) and teammates Diogo Pinto and Diogo Narciso (both Credibom-LA Alumínios-Marcos Car) powering away.
Attacks flew the first time up the cat 1 climb Rua Parque Florestal (2.1km at 8%), bringing a reshuffling at the front as Iker Gómez (Equipo Kern Pharma), and Cédric Beullens (Lotto-Intermarché) joined Pedro Pinto and Reis. The quartet established a maximum lead of 3:30 with 51km to go, but their lead had tumbled to around the one-minute mark on the approach to the second time up Rua Parque Florestal.
Jumping from the peloton, Dani Martinez (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) put in a massive acceleration, which was quickly matched by Brandon McNulty. The pair, soon joined by Max Poole (Picnic-PostNL) and Riley Sheehan (NSN), pulled away and closed the gap to the early breakaway, reeling the trio remaining ahead in with 34km to go, on the Enforca Cães (0.9km at 7.3%) climb.
These seven riders were caught by the peloton at the start of the final circuit but once again, McNulty put in a massive pull at the front on the ascent of Rua Parque Florestal with steep pitches of 16.5%. The American was soon joined by six riders, including his teammate Morgado, Dani Martinez, Martí, Thomas Gloag (Pinarello-Q36.5), Aranburu and Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché).
McNulty went all in, and soon the seven riders had a gap of 27 seconds with 14 kilometres to go. Six teams, including Lidl-Trek, EF Education-EasyPost and Movistar, put a rider in the rotation at the front of the reduced peloton down to around 50 riders but though they had the group in view, they still could not reel them in.
Aranburu made the first attack from the group with seven kilometres to go on the cat 2. climb Enforca Cães with Morgado countering and the two pulled away onto the fast descent to the flat final stretch to the finish line. Aranburu mostly sat on the defending champion’s wheel, much to his displeasure, but Morgado was nonetheless able to outsprint him for victory.
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