The talk of the town after the conclusion of racing on Day 4 was unfortunately not so much the excellent wins by Isaak Papadimitriou (Club Ciclista Riaza) and Tito Vera (Gradient Levellers), but rather the withdrawal of another clutch of riders, including one of the favourites in Bartosz Ozóg of Velo Club Bored Man.
  
  The day started innocently enough, Stage 6 in the majestic mountains of Aveiro - Penamacor. Yasir Sahir was the early pace-setter, ensuring that any breakaways failed before they could even begin. Such was the tempo that many riders fell by the wayside. The VakantieZon/Dodge party continued merrily at the tail end of the race, but it was all business up front.
  
  As the race neared the finishing stretch and the last mountain loomed, Papadimitriou broke for home, followed closely by Cruz Sierra of Team Jochem. Sahir, visibly tired by now, attempted to latch on to Sierra's rear wheel, but only succeeded in blocking off Pascal Hecker of MCT. Papadimitriou crossed the line first, with Sierra happy to coast home in second. Sahir just managed to hold off a fast finishing Rudi Pogaènik for third place.
  
  Bartosz Ozóg appeared to be struggling as he ended the race in a disappointing 26th place, losing a chunk of time in the process. He was seen hobbling gingerly in the direction of the first aid tent soon after. The only withdrawal this stage was Il Grillo's Tajikstani rider Saveli Kalinnikov for unknown reasons.
  
  Next up was Macedo de Cavaleiros - Vinhais with its intimidating hors catégorie peak. Much was riding on this result and the stress showed as the riders lined up at the start line. Sierra was the outstanding rider for the first 100km, obviously high on confidence after his second place earlier, but the Club Ciclista Riaza riders were lurking ominously in the background, protecting team lead Papadimitriou and keeping a low profile. Meanwhile, a grey looking Sylvan Ostens (Gradient Levellers)

could not continue after stopping one too many times to throw up at the side of the road.
  
  More than three quarters through the race, news started spreading like wildfire among the spectators. Ozóg was out! It was soon verified that the VCBM rider had aggravated a hamstring injury and would pay no further part in the tour. It was a sickening blow for both rider and team and it remains to be seen how volatile team manager Hairingtons will take the news.
  
  Up front, CCR finally made a move 50km to the finish line. However, the other riders were on high alert and a visibly disappointed Papadimitriou was reeled in pretty quickly. The effort had taken much out of Sahir though, and the Torreira captain was unable to do much as Tito Vera powered past for his maiden Volta victory.
  
  At the news conference later, in what can only be described as a bizarre move, Gradient Levellers manager Tim Johnson appeared sucking his thumb. He refused to take the offending digit out of his mouth to comment, but it is being speculated that he is either showing support for Japanese rider Yasunari Yamauchi or hawking a new brand of pacifiers.
  
  The tour moves to the hills of Vinhais - Vinhais tomorrow. While the sprinters will be rubbing their hands with glee, they'd do well to note that the stage was won by Ian Defley last season. The hill specialists will have to be watched closely if the sprinters wish to contest the stage. Then it is on to the Porto ITT and it is safe to say that any rider leading the pack after that will most likely hold on to the green jersey for the rest of the tour.
  
  Yasir Sahir leads the General Classification after the two strong showings, with Isaak Papadimitriou just a minute behind. Cruz Sierra has also moved up to third after his excellent performances today while Team Dinmore's Ramiro "Ramirez" Monteros cannot be discounted after sneaking up to fourth place.