Cabreira conquers Alto da Senhora da Graça

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The Portuguese riders continued to dominate their home Tour on the queen stage of the Volta a Portugal on Sunday. Joao Cabreira (Centro Ciclismo de Loule-Louletano) claimed the stage win atop the category one ascent of the Alto da Senhora da Graca ahead of breakaway companion Nuno Ribeiro (Liberty Seguros).

Ribeiro rode into the overall race lead after breaking clear of the peloton with Cabreira at the base of the 8km long final climb. The duo slowly pulled back the lone escapee, Pedro Lopes (Centro Ciclismo de Loule-Louletano) mid-way through the ascent.

The pair held off a chasing group containing Patrik Sinkewitz (PSK Whirlpool - Author), Andre Cardoso and Nelson Vitorino (Palmeiras Resort), David Bernabeau (Barbot-Siper), Hugo Sabido (Paredes Rota dos Moveis) and Ruslan Pidgornyy (ISD).

Cardoso attacked in the final metres to take third ahead of Vitorino, with Sinkewitz claiming fifth.

The 158km stage began at a rapid pace, with multiple attacks driving the pace upwards of 47km/h average in the first hour. A 17-man group finally went clear after 44km.

The group contained Carlos Nozal (Liberty Seguros), Bruno Barbosa and Celestino Pinho (LA-Paredes Rota dos Móveis), Sérgio Sousa (Madeinox-Boavista), Sérgio Ribeiro and Hélder Oliveira (Barbot-Siper), Pablo de Pedro and Pedro Lopes (CC Loulé-Louletano-Aquashow), Marco Marzano (Lampre-NGC), Cristian Benenati (ISD-Neri), Sergio Lagana (LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini), Oleg Chuzhda (Contentpolis-Ampo), Pedro Hermida (Xacobeo Galicia), Javier Ramirez and José Toribio (Andalucia-Cajasur), Frédéric Amorison (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago) and Tomas Buchacek (PSK Whirlpool-Author).

With Oliveiria best placed on GC, the Palmeiras Resort team of race leader Candido Barbosa was forced to do much of the work to control the move.

The leaders' advantage maxed out at 7:11, but a category 1 ascent at kilometre 121 provided enough of a challenge to split up the lead group and allow the chasing peloton to make up ground.

Lopes, Chuzhda, and Benenati attacked ahead of the climb, with Lopes soloing to the top with 1:19 on Chuzhda, while Benenati fell back to the rest of the escape group.

Lopes put in a valiant effort to stay clear as he hit the final ascent, but ran out of steam with just over 3km to go. He was caught and passed by the leading pair, Cabrieira and Ribeiro, who went on to contest the stage win.