On the 15th of August 2021, Amaro Antunes won the 82nd Bicycle Tour of Portugal. The W52-FC Porto cyclist entered the last day of the race with 42 seconds ahead of the second placed, Maurício Moreira (Efapel), and did not give rise to surprises in the tenth and final stage, which included an individual time trial of 20.3 kilometers in Viseu.
Amaro Antunes and Maurício Moreira were joined on the final podium by Spaniard Alejandro Marque (Tuna General/Tavira/Maria Nova Hotel), who made the fifth best time in the “crono”, 49 seconds off Rafael Reis.
Amaro Antunes
“Above all, it is the achievement of the goal that this team set itself. I have goosebumps because this morning we did about three laps of the circuit. Everyone said it would be possible, the director was tireless and we studied the time trial in detail. The whole team trusted it, but these men deserve it. It was a very tough Tour, there were days of great tension and everyone said it wouldn’t be possible, but we have a director [Nuno Ribeiro] who always told us it would be possible. Fortunately, today we are here with the victory. I want to give a word of appreciation to Mauricio [Moreira], who had a bad luck [fell in the time trial), but it happens. Sport is just like that. I did this curve 15 times, I went back and forth, to make sure what it was like. I managed to get strength where I didn’t know I had it. I want to thank the team, the fans and all the people who supported.”
The final Podium was
1º Amaro Antunes W52-FC Porto;
2nd Mauricio Moreira (Efapel);
3rd Alejandro Marque (Tuna General-Tavira-Maria Nova Hotel)
Classification Step
4th Amaro Antunes +44s
7th João Rodrigues +54s
10th Ricardo Mestre +1m05
12th Daniel Master +1m10
15th Joni Brandão +1m16
21st Samuel Caldeira +1m41
25th Ricardo Vilela +1m53
General Individual Final
1st Amaro Antunes 39h39m33
4th Joni Brandão +1m36s
9th João Rodrigues +6m32
14th Ricardo Vilela +13m15
24th Ricardo Mestre +35m45
47th Daniel Master +1h33m27
53rd Samuel Caldeira +1h49m48
General Teams
2nd W52 – FC Porto +10m42
General Mountain
3rd Amaro Antunes
General Combined
2nd Amaro Antunes
3rd Joni Brandão
