Volta ao Algarve 2010/2011 Live Dashboard Race Info, Previews, Live Video?, Results, Photos and Highlights photo credit:  Specialized Route Map  |  Stage Details  |  Preview  |  News  |  Team Rosters  |  Live  |  TV

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News and Updates for Tour of Algarve 2011

Tour of Algarve 2011 is FEB-16 to FEB-20 2011. This page will be updated shortly (Feb 4/5) with 2011 details. — Steve

News and Updates for Tour of Algarve 2010

Stage 5 results: Contador wraps it up; Luis Leon Sanchez moves up to 2nd on GC by winning the final day TT

Stage 5 results:
1  Luis Leon Ssnchez (Caisse D'Epargne),            21:32 (47,926 km/h)
2  Alberto Contador (Astana)                          :13
3  Sebastien Rosseler (RadioShack)                    :16
4  Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack)                       :22
5  Frantisek Rabon (Team HTC-Columbia)                :23

Final general classification
1  Alberto Contador (Astana)                     19:57:48
2  Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse D'Epargne)               :30
3  Tiago Machado (RadioShack)                         :32
4  Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack)                       :37
5  Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)                 :57 

Contador wins the Volta ao Algarve — cyclingnews
Alberto Contador bisa na Volta ao Algarve — jornalciclismo
Contador clinches Algarve crown — velonews
Alberto Contador gana la Vuelta al Algarve — as
Alberto Contador: “Ha sido una victoria muy importante para la moral del equipo” — biciciclismo
  Stage 5 Clips and Contador Interview (02:12 no audio) — official news feed
  Stage 5 Highlights (08:05 Russian) — eurosport2
Stage 5 photos by Sérgio Martins — cycloweb
Fotos da 5ª etapa da Volta ao Algarve — jornalciclismo
João Dias ITT Photos — cyclingnews
Graham Watson Stage 5 ITT Photos — grahamwatson
Astana fires first shots in Algarve — cyclingnews
Alberto Contador post-race quotes (English) — albertocontador
David Millar (Garmin - Transitions) hits the deck — cyclingnews
  Contador gana la Vuelta al Algarve (00:31) — rtve.es

Stage 5 preview: Lagoa → Portimão (flat/rolling)

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Feburary 20 update: Sunday is the final day, 17k individual time-trial along the coast near Portimão. The route is mostly flat with a few bumps. The bike Alberto Contaador was planning to use for the time-trial has been banned so we'll see whether he can finish the job on a bike he hasn't practiced with. RadioShack riders Tiago Machado (15 seconds back on GC) and and Levi Leipheimer (28 seconds back) could be the beneficiares of the UCI's decision to deem Contador's TT bike illegal just two days before he needs it. Chance of rain again tomorrow, but the hourly forecast predicts clear skies when the TT starts. See the race summary links (right) for the stage map, profile and timetable.

You can follow the TT via Portegusese text updates, English Twitter updates and video highlights in multiple languages. — Steve

TT Start Order and GMT Times (substract 5 hours for ET) — voltaalgarve
Contador's time trial bike disallowed at Algarve — velonation
Bicicleta de Contador não foi homologada pela UC — jornalciclismo

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Feburary 20 update: The next featured race on steephill.tv is the Giro di Sardegna off the coast of Italy starting next Tuesday Feb 23 through Saturday Feb 27. We'll have links to live coverage, big photos from Sirotti and video highlights.

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VERSUS Tour of Qatar VERSUS Tour of Qatar

Live Streaming Video and TV Coverage

media source	tv or internet	comments/restrictions
	live video (port.)   tv schedule	Portugal; digital mais tv will have daily highlights and interviews at 19:00h; live video coverage of stage 4 starting at 15h GMT
	video (port.)   tv schedule	Portugal; RTP will have daily highlights (10-15 minutes) and interviews
	video (russian, scroll and click replay at '02:00')    live audio (english)   tv schedule (europe)	Europe; Eurosport 2 will have nightly highlights (10-15 minutes) at 22:00h CET/ 23:00h GMT with reruns
	official updates	Portuguese; Not sure whether the official site will have live race updates
	live text updates	Portuguese; Jornal Ciclismo has the latest updates on the race.
	steephill txt updates  #algarve twitter grp  english updates	short text updates from any and everyone
check back at race time for more and updated links; send a comment or a new live link

February 14 update: Eurosport 2 will air 15 minutes of highlights every day at around 22:00 GMT / 23:00 CET with repeats each day. More to come... If you can chip in with more details then please let me know. — Steve
Feburary 16 update: Looks like stage 4 will be broadcast live over the internet and there should be two other sources (in Portuguese) for highlights in addition to Eurosport 2. — Steve

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Stage 4 results: Sebastien Rosseler solos into Tavira and hangs on for the first RadioShack win

photo permission: João Dias

Stage 4 results:
1  Sebastien Rosseler (RadioShack),                4:12:46 (40,116 km/h)
2  Mickael Delange (Omega Pharma-Lotto)                :20
3  Irmanol Erviti (Caisse D'Epargne)
4  Preben van Hecke (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator)
5  Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)                   :24
6  Iljio Keisse (Quick Step)                          2:50
7  André Greipel (Team HTC-Columbia)                  3:00
8  Wouter Weylandt (Quick Step)
9  Samuel Caldeira (Palmeiras Resort-Prio-Tavira) 
10 Graeme Brown (Rabobank)             

General classification after stage 4
1  Alberto Contador (Astana)                      19:36:03
2  Tiago Machado (RadioShack)                          :15
3  Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack)                        :28
4  Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)                  :35
5  Tejay van Garderen (Team HTC-Columbia)
6  Rui Costa (Caisse D'Epargne)                        :40
7  Luis León Sánchez (Caisse D'Epargne)                :43
8  Andreas Klöden (RadioShack)
9  Matthew Lloyd (Omega Pharma-Lotto)
10 Joaquín Rodríguez (Katusha)              

Rosseler rolls to solo stage win — cyclingnews
Rosseler wins at Algarve, Contador keeps lead — velonews
Sebastien Rosseler vence isolado em Tavira — jornalciclismo
Rosseler Rolls to First Team Victory — radioshack/livestrong
Stage 4 photos: Rosseler break, Contador podium — biciciclismo
Stage 4 photos — mediadesporto
  Finish line clip (00:36 no audio) — jornalciclismo
  Stage 4 Highlights (03:17 no audio) — official news feed

Stage 4 preview: St Antonio-Cacela → Tavira, 174k (rolling/hilly)

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Feburary 20 update: Saturday's stage 4 will again start from the southeast corner of Portugal and follows a similar route to stage 3 except we'll descend back to the coast rather than finish in the mountains. There will be a flat finish in Tavira, a town often used in past Voltas, after 169 km of racing. There is a 30% chance of rain again. See the race summary links (right) for the stage map, profile and timetable.

There will be live video coverage of Saturday's stage 4 at 15:00h GMT. Note the posted finish is also scheduled for 15:00h; however, all the stages have been finishing an hour later than posted. You'll also have Portegusese text updates, English Twitter updates and video highlights in multiple languages. — Steve

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Stage 3 results: Alberto Contador attacks at the base of the 2.7k Alto do Malhão and wins by 11 seconds to take the overall lead. Levi Leipheimer gets third

photo permission: João Dias

Stage 3 results:
1  Alberto Contador (Astana)                5:02:55
2  Tiago Machado (RadioShack)                   :11
3  Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack)                 :22
4  Peter Velts (HTC-Columbia)                   :25
5  Tejay van Garderen (HTC-Columbia)
6  Jean Christophe Peraud (Omega Pharma-Lotto)  :29
7  Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)           :31
8  Rui Costa (Caisse D'Epargne)                 :33
9  Luis Leon Sánchez (Caisse D'Epargne)
10 Andreas Kloden (RadioShack)
             
General classification after stage 3
1  Alberto Contador (Astana)               15:20:17
2  Tiago Machado (RadioShack)                   :15
3  Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack)                 :28
4  Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)           :35
5  Tejay van Garderen (HTC-Columbia)
6  Rui Costa (Caisse D'Epargne)                 :43
7  Luis Leon Sánchez (Caisse D'Epargne)
8  Matthew Lloyd (Omega Pharma-Lotto)
9  Andreas Kloden (RadioShack)
10 Joaquín Rodríguez (Katusha)            

Contador takes control in Malhão — cyclingnews
Contador takes over at Algarve; Leipheimer, Van Garderen close — velonews
  Finish line clip (00:32 no audio) — jornalciclismo
Tiago Machado brilha na confirmação de Alberto Contador — jornalciclismo
Machado and Leipheimer Step Up in Algarve — livestrong
Bettini's stage 3 photos — cyclingnews
Contador's time trial bike disallowed at Algarve — velonation
Stage 3 photos by João Dias, Victor Leandro and Sérgio Martins — cycloweb
  Machado interview: Tiago Machado no alto do Malhão (00:26 Portuguese) — jornalciclismo
  Stage 3 Highlights (02:03 no audio) — official news feed
  Stage 3 Highlights (09:03 portuguese, skip over commercials) — digitalmaistv

Stage 3 preview: Castro Marim → Alto do Malhão, 174k (mountainous)

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Feburary 19 update: Thursday's stage 2 started on the southwest corner of the Portugal mainland. For Friday's stage 3, we start in Castro Marim on the far southeast side of Portugal. That gives you some idea of how narrow Portugal is.

From Castro Marim, we head west along the scenic coast towards Tavira. But before Tavira, the stage heads northwest over three cat 3 climbs including the high point of the race at Caldeirão (620m el) while looping through the Serra do Malhão. The race then finishes on the short but relatively steep cat 2 Alto do Malhão (2.7 km, 9.25% average grade) which has been used in previous editions. At this early point in the year, we'll call this a mountain stage. In 2004, Floyd Landis won here () while riding for USPS on his way to winning the overall title. See the race summary links (right) for the stage map, profile and timetable.

As a reminder, there is live video for Saturday's stage 4, but not stage 3. For stage 3, you'll have Portegusese text updates, English Twitter updates and video highlights in multiple languages. — Steve
Grand Tour contenders open season at Algarve — cyclingnews

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Stage 2 results: The lone break survivor, David Vitoria, is caught 200m from the line; André Greipel takes the uphill finish. Six-plus hours of racing in atypical cold, rain

photo permission: João Dias

Stage 2 results:
1  André Greipel (Team HTC-Columbia)           6:06:39
2  Jurgen Roelandts (Omega Pharma-Lotto)
3  Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)              :04
4  Bjorn Leukemens (Vacansoleil)                   :06
5  José Joaquín Rojas (Caisse D'Epargne)
6  Joaquín Rodríguez (Katusha)
7  Johan Coenen (Topsport)
8  Benoît Vaugrenard (Française des Jeux)
9  Francesco Reda (Quick Step)
10 Tiago Machado (RadioShack)                 

General classification after stage 2
1  André Greipel (Team HTC-Columbia)          10:17:12
2  Benoît Vaugrenard (Française des Jeux)          :05
3  Jurgen Roelandts (Omega Pharma-Lotto)           :08
4  Joan Horrach (Katusha)                          :12
5  Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)              :14
6  José Joaquín Rojas (Caisse D'Epargne)           :20
7  Mathiev Ladagnous (Française des Jeux)
8  Bjorn Leukemens (Vacansoleil)
9  Rui Costa (Caisse D'Epargne)
10 Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions)               

Greipel grabs win in Lagos — cyclingnews
André Greipel é o novo líder da Volta ao Algarve — jornalciclismo
Bettini's stage 2 photos — cyclingnews
Greipel takes chilling victory at Algarve — velonews
  Stage 2 Highlights (03:13 no audio) — official news feed
  Stage 2 Highlights (11:33 portuguese, skip over commercials) — digitalmaistv
... more to come...

Stage 2 preview: Sagres → Lagos, 208k (hilly)

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Feburary 18 update: Thursday's stage 2 starts in the southwest corner of the Portugal mainland right on the coast. We then head northeast looping through the Serra de Monchique where the peloton will split on the hills. The expected break will then make a 20 km dash back down to the coast for the finish in Lagos. This is a Luis Leon Sanchez sort of stage. At 208k, this stage is the longest of the race. See the race summary links (right) for the stage map, profile and timetable.

As a reminder, there is no live video until stage 4. Until then, Portegusese text updates, English Twitter updates and video highlights in multiple languages will have to do. — Steve
Grand Tour contenders open season at Algarve — cyclingnews

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Stage 1 results: Benoit Vaugrenard gaps the field on the slight uphill finish into Albufeira

photo permission: João Dias

Stage 1 results:
1  Benoit Vaugrenardv (Française Des Jeux)        4:10:42
2  Joan Horrach (Katusha),                            :03
3  André Greipel (Team HTC-Columbia)                  :05
4  Mathiew Ladagnous (Française des Jeus)
5  Nick Nuyens (Rabobank)
6  Wouter Weylandt (Quick Step)
7  Rui Costa (Caisse D'Epargne)
8  Heinrich Haussler (Cervélo)
9  Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
10 Jens Keukeleire (Cofidis)
11 Sergey Lagutin (Vacansoleil)
12 Alexander Botcharov (Katusha)
13 Graeme Brown (Rabobank)
14 José Joaquín Rojas (Caisse D'Epargne)
15 Dries Devenyns (Quick Step)

General classification after stage 1
1  Benoit Vaugrenardv (Française Des Jeux)        4:10:32
2  Joan Horrach (Katusha),                            :07
3  André Greipel (Team HTC-Columbia)                  :11
4  Mathiew Ladagnous (Française des Jeus)             :15

Vaugrenard victorious in Algarve opener — cyclingnews
Benoît Vaugrenard surpreende sprinters e vence em Albufeira — jornalciclismo
  Finish line clip (00:32 no audio) — jornalciclismo
High-res victory salute
Stage 1 Photos — voltaalgarve
Vaugrenard surprises at Algarve opener — velonews
  Stage 1 Highlights (10:33 portuguese) — digitalmaistv
  Stage 1 Highlights (04:10 english) — eurosport
Vaugrenard épate d'entrée — lequipe.fr
Fotos da primeira etapa da Volta ao Algarve — jornalciclismo

Stage 1 preview: Estádio do Algarve → Albufeira 158k (bumpy)

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Feburary 16 update: Wednesday's stage starts at the football stadium used by the city of Faro (Division Three). We then loop around the area, over some bumps and hills and then descend back to the coast for the slight up hill finish in Albufeira. See the race summary links (right) for the stage map, profile and timetable.

I've heard from the media in Portugal. Apparently, there will be live video for stage 4 and multiple sources for video highlights each day. There will also be live text updates each day. More to come, check back at race time and feel free to chip in as always. Famous for it's sunny weather, Algarve is calling for chance of rain on every stage. — Steve
Grand Tour contenders open season at Algarve — cyclingnews

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February 16 update:
Grand Tour contenders open season at Algarve — cyclingnews
February 15 update:
Contador’s 2010 debut: Portugal’s Algarve tour, starts this week — velonews

Official stage maps and profiles now posted

February 14 update: For stage maps and profiles see the links in the race summary table (right) or the official site. More to come. — Steve

2010 Route Details

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January 19 update: With the move of the Tour of California to May, the Volta ao Algarve now has an exclusive on bike racing talent for the end of February. This race in the southern most province of Portugal has already confirmed that Spanish stars Alberto Contador and Alejandro Valverde Luis Leon Sanchez will be attending. Radio Shack has also confirmed Levi Leipheimer, Andreas Kloden, Sérgio Paulinho, Gert Steegmans and Tomas Vaitkus will be racing. Other riders partaking: Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Transitions), Ezequiel Mosquera (Xacobeo Galicia), Robbie McEwen (Katusha) and Thor Hushovd (Cervélo). The weather in Algarve for February is much more predictably nice than California.

Volta ao Algarve is a hilly race with this year's race featuring 11 cat 3 climbs over the first four stages before the final day time-trial. There is also a cat 2 finish at Alto do Malhão on stage 3, the midpoint of the race. The action on the flats should be interesting too because the region has some of the finest beaches in Europe. More to come... — Steve

Alto do Malhão e contra-relógio decisivos na Volta ao Algarve — jornalciclismo
El Alto de Malhao y la crono final, las claves de la Vuelta al Algarve — biciciclismo
Race History and Past Winners — en.wikipedia.org
Graham Watson photos from 2004 and 2005

January 1 update: Contador to kick off season at Tour of the Algarve — ap

Race Preview

February 16 update:
Grand Tour contenders open season at Algarve — cyclingnews

2010 Volta ao Algarve Route Map

...no official map published