Length: 137 km
The north of Portugal is known for its irregular terrain. That's why some of the hardest one day cycling races take part on this region. AC Oporto is one great example. Featuring climbs such as "São Domingos", "Encosta Castelinho" and the mythical climb to the "Marco Geodésico da Pedra Posta", AC Porto will only allow the strongest rider to win!
Starting the race and the see shore in Porto, more exactly at the "Faro... Read moreThe north of Portugal is known for its irregular terrain. That's why some of the hardest one day cycling races take part on this region. AC Oporto is one great example. Featuring climbs such as "São Domingos", "Encosta Castelinho" and the mythical climb to the "Marco Geodésico da Pedra Posta", AC Porto will only allow the strongest rider to win!
Starting the race and the see shore in Porto, more exactly at the "Farol de Felgueiras", the 18th century lighthouse that stands strong against the storms from the Atlantic waters helping lots of fisherman to enter the "Rio D'Ouro", the riders head inland always with the river by their side.
Some steep hills still inside the city center will allow the break away to form itself. Unfortunately no sightseeing is allowed for the riders on this very short race (just 137 km).
20 km into the race and it's time to put the river behind for the first climb of the race. The climb to the "Marco geodésico dos Sobreiros" won't make a huge difference in the race. 3,5 km at 7,8% is a good appetizer for the rest of the climbs to come.
Not much time to rest as expected. Just 15 km after the first climb it's time for the "São Domingos" climb. This time we'll have 1,6 km at some incredible 15% will be an ideal location for a long attack. Tactics will be vital at this point of the race since we're into the last 90 km of the race. "São Domingos" also marks the start of the hardest part of the race where the flat roads will be something the riders can only dream about.
After some constant hilly roads, the riders will have to face 3 beast topping over 1000 meters. Starting the carnage we'll have the first climb to the "Encosta Castelinho". This will be the easiest approach to this climb with 16,8 km at 6%. Ok, easy might not have been the best definition. After the hard climb, the riders will have a hard descend to "São Cristóvão de Nogueira" to appreciate the "Rio Douro" for the last time and head back to the 2nd climb to "Encosta Castelinho".
Now things get even harder with 13 km at 10% with just 30 km to the line. The organizers for sure expect the important attacks to start on this climb. With not a single flat period on the last 70 km, no team will have a dominant workforce now. Another hard downhill and it's time for the climb to the finish.
The mythical climb to the "Marco Geodésico da Pedra Posta"! 9 km with an average slope of 15% will tear apart the rider's last legs! The hardest part of the climb will be on the last kilometer with the slops topping out at 22%.
Rómulo Mena was the first local hero to win the race. There are also some famous past winners including Theodoor van Someren, Inocencio Garcia, Abel Wilkin and Jeremi Hryniewicz. Who will be the next?
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| Winner | 13.000 $
| | Second | 11.000 $
| | Third | 9.000 $
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Minimum rank: 260
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Day 73 - 11:14 GMT |
Winners of AC Oporto
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AC Oporto is a part of the OCM Tour.
Description
The terrain in AC Oporto includes many steep and hard climbs and has a few incredibly hard downhills. The terrain hardly includes any hills and has only a few flat roads. The stage ends on a tough climb. The finishing climb gets steep from time to time. The route doesn't demand much technique from the riders.
Wind speed: 8,4 m/s.
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