It’s barely days away and there’s a buzz in the air. You get on the streets and there’s only one topic being discussed. There’s not even any need to mention the race by name. Everyone, the locals included, refer to it as just “the race”.
  
  The autograph hunters were all in a tizzy just yesterday when a large contingent of riders touched down. The Torreira riders and the boys from Dodge were amongst those in early to acclimatise, arriving to scores of fans packing the airport in Porto. Experts have warned of tricky conditions in the days leading up to the race and the extra days in country could just prove vital.
  
  It’s been a big couple of months for Portugal. Fresh from hosting the 11th edition of the World Championships, they once again play host to what is fast becoming one of the more popular tours on the OCM circuit. It is no wonder that the sport of cycling is fast becoming one of the most popular sports in the country, just behind football in the Portuguese Liga. In fact, an unnamed player from one of the Big Three clubs had recently been linked with an audacious bid to form a premier pro-cycling outfit based out of Lisbon.
  
  Back to the race, there has been some speculation over the past few days over rider fitness. Several riders have been carrying niggling injuries, including the likes of Canadian sprinter Grant Hester of deadalus, Tariq Labid of English outfit Scilian and Team iPower’s premier sprinter

Dan Korošec. Although no debilitating injuries have been reported yet, it could be but a matter of time. One would do well to recall the Bajen Wannabies team last season, when they signed up an injured Coldoveo de Rosas and later lost hot favourite Sven-Olof Dahlström to a horrific crash.
  
  Meanwhile, the Yuri SuperTeam manager was quoted in a local newspaper saying that his team were extremely confident heading into the competition. “This is the most important Tour for my team. We prepared our season based on the [Volta ao Porto],” Mr Yuri told assembled reporters. He went on to assure rivals that his team were in high spirits and feared no one but themselves.
  
  While things are looking just rosy for the Portuguese team, the Dodge management has come under fire from certain quarters for not providing adequate backup for team lead Ian Defley.
  
  “It’s an absolute disgrace,” a high ranking cycling insider told us on condition of anonymity, “[Defley’s] gotta be one of the best riders in the competition and they’ve thrown in a bunch of nobodies to assist him.”
  
  Others were quick to jump into the debate, with Gradient Levellers’s manager Tim Johnson being equally cutting, though in more diplomatic terms, “Defley is the strongest rider I think, but a lack of strong teammates will hamper him.”
  
  The Dodge management were not available for comment.