Tour of Portugal

Team Vorarlberg ready for big attack on yellow

(Bild: Voltaa Portugal/ Matias Novo/Podium Events)

Taking a breather and licking wounds was on the agenda for Team Vorarlberg on Monday. The first few days had taken their toll on manager Thomas Kofler's team. Well rested, however, the team around Swiss rider Colin Stüssi will be looking to achieve great things again in the Tour of Portugal from today.

Yesterday, Colin Stüssi and his colleagues from Team Vorarlberg were finally able to take a deep breath. After 660 kilometers and 10,000 meters of climbing in the heat, the Tour of Portugal finally had a much-anticipated rest day. One rider who was particularly pleased was Lukas Rüegg (Sz), who miraculously survived a heavy crash on Saturday without any broken bones.

Good, not only for the 27-year-old, but also for his team. On the remaining six stages - with a total of 886.1 kilometers and 14,526 meters of altitude - the team can urgently need every rider to achieve Colin Stüssi's goal of defending his title. The 31-year-old is currently in second place, just 16 seconds behind Portuguese rider Afonso Eulálio from the ABTP Betao team. Eulálio had ousted Stüssi - who had already secured the yellow jersey with a solo victory on the first stage at the Observatorio Villa Nova - from the top of the overall standings on Saturday.

The Swiss rider naturally wants to get it back. Incidentally, in his triumph last year, he also struck directly after the rest day, taking the yellow jersey and then not relinquishing it until the finish...