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Tag: Algarve Sports

50th edition of Volta ao Algarve starts today

Cycling competition Volta ao Algarve returns with the world’s top teams and a new time trial

– February 14, 2024

Volta Ao Algarve/Facebook

The competition will take place from February 14 to 18, with several top teams participating and a brand new time trial to be held in Albufeira.

The 50th edition of the Volta ao Algarve is “expected to be memorable due to the excellent 175 runners entered”.

The latest update to the participants list confirms that Volta do Algarve will have “a peloton with over 20 riders from the top 100 in the world, but also 16 reigning champions, including World, Olympic, National, and Continental champions, both in road cycling and other disciplines of the sport”.

Route

The competition will start in Portimão, with the team presentations and the start of the 200.8km race to Lagos, where a sprint finish is expected.

The second stage begins in Lagoa and ends in Fóia, with 171.9km. The final phase of the stage will be exciting, with cyclists passing through Pomba’s steep climb and a bonus sprint just after Monchique and on the climb to the finish line.

The third stage will cover 192.2km, from Vila Real de Santo António to Tavira, in a one-day tour to the eastern extreme of Sotavento and the Guadiana landscape.

This year’s 50th edition has a “big surprise” on day four, with an “unprecedented 22km time trial” from Albufeira Marina to City Hall.

The race will end with the “always anticipated stage finish” at the top of Malhão. This time it will be 165.8km, with the starting point being in Faro.

14/02/2024 – 1st Stage: Portimão – Lagos, 200.8km

15/02/2024 – 2nd Stage: Lagoa – Alto da Fóia, 171.9km

16/02/2024 – 3rd Stage: Vila Real de Santo António – Tavira, 192.2km

17/02/2024 – 4th Stage: Albufeira – Albufeira, 22km (ITT)

18/02/2024 – 5th Stage: Faro – Alto do Malhão, 165.8km

Participating Teams

WorldTeams: Alpecin-Deceuninck (Belgium), Arkea-B&B Hotels (France), Astana Qazaqstan Team (Kazakhstan), BORA-hansgrohe (Germany), EF Education-EasyPost (USA), Groupama-FDJ (France), INEOS Grenadiers (UK), Intermarché-Wanty (Belgium), Lidl-Trek (USA), Soudal Quick-Step (Belgium), Team dsm-firmenich PostNL (Netherlands), Team Visma | Lease a Bike (Netherlands), and UAE Team Emirates (United Arab Emirates).

ProTeams: Caja Rural-Seguros RGA (Spain), Tudor Pro Cycling (Switzerland), and Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (Norway).

Continental Teams: ABTF Betão-Feirense (Portugal), AP Hotels & Resorts-Tavira-SC Farense (Portugal), Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé Concelho (Portugal), Credibom-LA Alumínios-Marcos Car (Portugal), Efapel Cycling (Portugal), Kelly-Simoldes-UDO (Portugal), Rádio Popular-Paredes-Boavista (Portugal), Sabgal-Anicolor (Portugal), and Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mortágua (Portugal).

Read more Algarve News:

Silves Orange Festival returns for 8th edition this February 16

Algarve Jazz Orchestra joins jazz singer Maria Anadon and German conductor Ferdinand Von Seebach for special concerto in Lagoa

Nicki Minaj to perform in Portugal for the first time at Afro Nation festival in Portimão

February 14, 2024
Lagoa to host European Cross Country Championships in 2025

After a “rigorous selection process and multiple visits to the region” the European Athletics placed their trust in Lagoa

– December 4, 2023 | Text Michael Bruxo

James Lee – Unsplash

Lagoa has been chosen to host the 31st European Cross Country Championships in December 2025.

“Following a rigorous selection process and multiple visits to the region, European Athletics placed their trust in Portugal, specifically in Lagoa, marking Portugal’s fourth time hosting the European Cross Country Championships,” Lagoa Council says in a statement to the press after the announcement.

“Lagoa has once again been chosen to host a major sports event, this time on a European scale, having been recognised for its ability to host and organise significant events and for the ideal conditions available in the region for sports and accommodating thousands of visitors, including teams from various participating countries, athletes’ families, members of the media, and sports enthusiasts,” it adds.

Lagoa will become the fourth town in Portugal and second in the Algarve to host the championships, after Oeiras in 1997, Albufeira in 2010, and Lisbon in 2019.

“This presents a fantastic opportunity for Lagoa to develop the necessary infrastructure for hosting both national and international cross-country events. The planning and construction for the 2025 European Cross Country Championships are already underway,” the council guarantees.

Meanwhile, Lagoa Mayor Luís Encarnação has described the announcement as a moment of great satisfaction. “We have long aspired to host an event of this magnitude. It will undoubtedly be a significant challenge, but Lagoa is up to the task,” he said.

December 4, 2023
Over 300 Boxers to Compete at the Portimão Box Cup this May 26

Third edition of the Portimão Box Cup brings boxers from 10 European countries to the Algarve

– May 22, 2023

The Portimão Box Cup will take place between Friday, May 26 and Sunday, May 28. Two rings will be set up at the Portimão Arena, which is expected to host over 200 fights over the three days.

A total of 66 teams are expected to participate in the Portimão Box Cup, including the following countries: Portugal, Spain, England, Norway, Ireland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Wales and Croatia.

The competition will begin on Friday, May 26 at 11am, followed by a break at 2pm and the opening ceremony at 6pm.

On Saturday and Sunday, matches will begin at 2pm, with breaks scheduled at 4pm and 6pm.

The award ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 28, at 8.30 pm.

Tickets cost €5 for one day, and €10 for the three-day pass, and can be purchased online or at Portimão Arena, Tempo Theatre or Portimão museum.

Admission is free for children up to the age of 11 as long as they are accompanied by an adult.

Half of all proceeds will go to A Catraia, a temporary shelter for minors, and Casa Nossa Senhora da Conceição, a shelter for children and youngsters in need.

The event is organised by Associação Escola Boxe Portimão, which aims to promote boxing and provide athletes with a high-level competition which allows them to “learn and evolve.”

Follow Portimão Box Cup on Facebook for the latest news.

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May 22, 2023
Algarve to host its second Swimrun competition, this time in Lagoa

Lagoa Swimrun will take place throughout the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail

– May 3, 2022

On May 8, Swimrun Portugal is returning to the Algarve for its second year, this time in Lagoa, kickstarting the sports season.

The global phenomenon of Swimrun already counts more than 700 races in various European countries, with more than 8,000 “finishers”. The sport started in Sweden in 2006 with the “Otillo” race (meaning Island to Island), which started off as a bet between friends who embraced the challenge of racing between the islands of Stockholm’s archipelago, swimming between them in a total distance of 75km, including 10km in open waters.

Portugal soon caught up with the new sport along with other countries around the world, and in June 2017 hosted the “Arrábida Swimrun” – the first Swimrun competition in Portugal, where more than 200 athletes participated.

This May 8, the race will start at Ermida da Senhora da Rocha, where athletes will race throughout the trails of the 7 Vales Suspensos (Seven Hanging Valleys Trail) which was recently awarded as the Best Hiking Destination in Europe, and later will pass through the Caminho dos Promontórios, arriving at the picturesque fisherman’s village of Ferragudo.

Lagoa Swimrun will have a standard distance of around 27km, starting at the Ermida da Senhora da Rocha, and a Sprint distance of around 12km, starting in Carvoeiro. Both will end in Ferragudo.

The following formats are available for anyone interested in participating:

– Team participation (duos), which accounts for the Swimrun National Circuit qualifications

– Individual participation.

The Sprint distance is solely for individual participation.

For those interested in participating, visit Swimrun Portugal‘s website.

Read more:

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May 3, 2022
Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel wins Volta ao Algarve 2022

– February 21, 2022

Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) won his second Volta ao Algarve last weekend, repeating his 2020 victory and cementing his name in the competition’s history as one of the few cyclists to win it twice.

Despite finishing 5th in the last stage on Sunday, his dominant performance in Saturday’s time trial gave him the lead he needed to be crowned the overall winner.

“I wanted to come back and do the same thing I did two years ago and I’m glad I did. I knew that this week the time trial was the most important thing. Yesterday (Saturday) I gave everything, and today (Sunday) I still felt (the effort) in my legs. But as we approached the last climb, Louis (Vervaeke) and other teammates did a great job,” said Evenepoel.

Colombian Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe) won the final stage – a 173km ride from Lagoa to Malhão in Loulé – after having competed for the win in the second stage, only to crash with the finish line in sight. This time everything went well for the South American cyclist.

“First of all, I want to dedicate this victory to the great-grandmother of my girlfriend, who died the day I fell. To have the possibility of winning the stage, falling, arriving at the hotel and receiving this bad news… It’s a big blow. Today (Sunday) we left for the stage motivated to give our best and we got this victory. The team had difficult days in the Algarve. One of us fell and broke his collarbone, another got sick, but today we won,” said Higuita.

Here’s the top-10 overall standings:
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team – Belgium): 19:35:03
2. Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates – UAE): + 1:17
3. Daniel Martinez (INEOS Grenadiers – UK): +1:21
4. Ethan Hayter (INEOS Grenadiers): +1:39
5. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ – France): +2:00
6. Tobias S. Foss (Jumbo-Visma – Netherlands): +2:04
7. Stefan Kung (Groupama-FDJ): +2:16
8. Thibaut Guernalec (Team Arkea-Samsic – France): +2:41
9. Sven Erik Bystrom (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux – Belgium): +3:13
10. Dylan Van Baarle (INEOS Grenadiers): +3:38

Last year, the Volta ao Algarve was won by the region’s very own João Rodrigues.

Source: Algarve Resident Newspaper

February 21, 2022
Lagoa to welcome final stage of “Volta ao Algarve” in February

One of the main cycling events of the season, “Volta ao Algarve” returns February 16 for its 48th edition

– January 19, 2021

Organisers have announced that the Volta ao Algarve, one of the region’s biggest sporting events, will return for its 48th edition next month with an almost completely new route.

The first stage will begin in Portimão on February 16, where the teams will be presented to the public and where cyclists will begin what they hope will be a successful competition. A nearly 200km stage awaits them, ending in Lagos.

Second Stage: Albufeira to Monchique

Albufeira will host the start of the second stage, a 182.4 kilometre journey which will see cyclists testing their limits to reach the highest peak in the Algarve – Fóia in Monchique.

But to get to Fóia, cyclists will have to compete along a different route. Instead of approaching the peak from Pomba, they will have to overcome the challenge of reaching Picota first.

Third Stage: Almodôvar to Faro

The third stage is the longest, challenging cyclists with a 209.1 kilometre route starting in Almodôvar in the Alentejo and ending in Faro.

Fourth Stage: Vila Real de Santo António to Tavira

But what is being described as the “biggest novelty” for this year’s edition is the time trial, which will be the longest in recent years (32.2kms). The time trial will take place between Vila Real de Santo António and Tavira and will mark the return of the Volta ao Algarve to VRSA, which hasn’t hosted a stage since 2009.

Fifth Stage: Lagoa to Loulé

The fifth and final stage of the competition will take cyclists on a 173km ride from Lagoa to Malhão in Loulé.

Last year, the Volta ao Algarve was won by the region’s very own João Rodrigues.

Source: Algarve Resident Newspaper

January 20, 2022
New Street Workout Park in Ferragudo

Ferragudo boasts New Street Workout Park proposed by local youngsters

– January 11, 2022

The new Street Workout Park has been inaugurated in Ferragudo, just a stone’s throw away from Angrinha beach, allowing anyone to enjoy an outdoor workout with a beach view.

The new Street Workout Park in Ferragudo boasts a variety of equipment that can be used to exercise without having to bring along weights or any other kind of equipment.

The project was one of the winning ideas of Lagoa’s Orçamento Participativo (OP), an initiative which allows local citizens to pitch and vote for their own projects.

Representing an investment of just over €20,000, the new Street Workout Park in Ferragudo was proposed by a group of local youngsters and created with the help of the Portuguese Association of Street Workout and Parkour (SWA), says the local council.

“The involvement of the Portuguese Association of Street Workout and Parkour allowed Lagoa Council to guarantee the quality of the equipment and find the best solutions on the market, as well as make sure all safety rules are followed,” the council adds.

The Orçamento Participativo has been organised every year since 2014, providing the citizen-led projects with a €300,000 budget to be used among the many winning ideas.

“I have to thank these youngsters for participating in this OP, which allowed us to create this park in the borough. We will continue to promote the civic participation of the people of Lagoa and together make the borough increasingly better to live, work, study or visit,” said Lagoa Mayor Luís Encarnação.

Encouraging civic engagement is described as one of the main goals of the local council, it says. M.B.

January 11, 2022
Olympic medallist Patrícia Mamona chooses Lagoa for training camp

The 32-year-old athlete arrived in the town on August 6 accompanied by her coach José Uva

Her goal is to recover from her silver medal-winning performance at the Tokyo Olympics and prepare for the World Athletics Championships next year.

Patrícia Mamona and coach José Uva

“The good condition of our facilities played a role in the athlete’s choice (to come to Lagoa),” the local council said in a statement to the press.

Lagoa Mayor Luís Encarnação invited Mamona and her coach to the town hall on Monday (August 9) to “congratulate them personally on their achievement at the Olympics, thank them for choosing Lagoa” and to inform them of the council’s plans for the Bela Vista stadium, where it will replace the current running pitch and install new ramps and stairs with a synthetic pitch – “an innovative project that does not exist in Portugal at the moment,” says the council.

“It is a huge honour for us to have Patrícia Mamona, a current Olympic silver medal winner, training in Lagoa,” said Encarnação.

Patrícia Mamona with Lagoa mayor Luis Encarnação

“It is a sign that the strategy of sports development created by the current administration is bearing fruit and that Lagoa is strengthening its status as a top sports destination.”

TEXT Michael Bruxo
Source Portugal Resident

August 13, 2021
Amendoeira Golf Resort to host EGA European Championship

The Algarve’s stunning Amendoeira Golf Resort is to host the European Golf Associations (EGA) European Championship for Golfers with Disability on 21-24 August for the first time.

The championship, which is in its 18th year, is approved by the EGA and run by the European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA). It will see 80 players descend on Amendoeira’s sun-kissed O’Connor Jnr Course, ready to compete in a range of events, including male, female and wheelchair-bound competitions.

“We are thrilled that the 2021 European Championship for Golfers with Disability will take place at Amendoeira Golf Resort. Our players have previously enjoyed a range of superb golf courses in Lisbon, as well as here in the Algarve, and are looking forward to the challenge of the O’Connor Jnr Course, with its stunning surroundings, as well as to the chance to reconnect and enjoy some social banter,” said Tony Bennet, President of EDGA, HEAD of Disability and Inclusion for International Golf Federation.

The O’Connor Jnr Course was designed by iconic Irish golfer Christy O’Connor Jnr. Situated in a fertile valley in the Silves area of the Central Algarve, the course has been skilfully landscaped and planted with mature palm trees, which intersperse its multiple water features. Focus and accuracy are essential for this challenging course, which is one of three at Amendoeira (alongside the 18-hole Faldo course and Portugal’s only illuminated nine-hole course).

The European Championship for Golfers with Disability alternates between individual and team championships each year. 2021 will see the individual championship take place, after it was postponed from 2020, like so many major sporting events. The 80 players, along with their staff, caddies, guides and other members of their retinue will all be based at Amendoeira, which is owned and operated by Kronos Homes, for the duration of the competition.

Amendoeira offers rental accommodation ranging from contemporary apartments to villas with private pools. In addition to its golfing facilities, the resort is also home to six tennis courts, three football fields, a sports club, a kids’ club and a well-respected golf academy. For those looking to stay a little longer, two-bedroom apartments are available to purchase, priced from €285,000, while three-bedroom duplex apartments are available from €360,000. Villa with private pools cost from €575,000 for a three-bedroom home and from €1.25 million for a superior four-bedroom villa with pool.

“We look forward to welcoming all those involved in the European Championship for Golfers with Disability to Amendoeira Golf Resort and invite them to enjoy our wide range of facilities, from the new clubhouse, the restaurant and the sports bar to the practice course and the impressive fairways and subtly contoured greens of the O’Connor Jnr Course. We are proud to support this esteemed event,” said Alda Filipe, Sales & Marketing Director of Kronos Homes.

August 3, 2021
Portimão is the 2019 European City of Sport

Sports fans can enjoy a vast array of events this year

Windsurfing World Championships©Rafal Czepulkowski

Our neighbouring city Portimão has found its place on the map and will be hosting hundreds of sporting events to honour their European City of Sport status. Earlier this year, the opening event attracted over 4,000 people along with several of Portugal’s most iconic athletes, including former Olympic champion Rosa Mota, who is one of the ambassadors of the project; world champion motorcyclist Miguel Praia; and windsurfer Miguel Martinho. Paralympic athlete Jorge Pina, sailors Luís Brito and Beatriz Gago, surfers Frederico Magalhães, Francisco Canelas, João Bracourt and Gustavo Gouveia and taekwondo fighter Rafaela Araújo were also in attendance.

One of the highlights of the event was the “biggest video-mapping event that has ever been held in Portugal”. For those who might not know, video mapping is a way of projecting imagery onto a surface, making virtually any object into a screen. “We want the people of Portimão to see regular physical activity as a benefit to their health and wellbeing so that they will be happier in the town they live in,” said mayoress, Isilda Gomes. “Portimão is synonymous with sports and has every chance to be so even more.”

This year, Portimão will be hosting over 600 sports event and welcoming around 40,000 athletes. The first big event took place on February 20, when the town hosted a stage of the ‘Volta ao Algarve’ cycling competition, which also passed through Carvoeiro on February 22. Between April 20 and May 5, the town will be hosting the Windsurfing World Championships, and the European Ultimate Frisbee Championship will be held from May 6 to 11 around the same time as the Open de Portugal golf tournament (May 9-12) at Morgado. A few days later, the town will host the UIM F1H2O World Championship, the world’s most important powerboat competition (May 17-19).

There are free sporting events all year long in the Algarve, where fun runs are becoming popular, and the local councils are creating recreational parks for people to go outside and get fit. You will find a good example of one of these in Lagoa, where they have constructed a running track around an exercise course beside the roundabout, next to Jumbo supermarket. The Fontes in Estômbar also has an open-air fitness course that is open and free to use all year long.

For more information visit www.cm-portimao.pt

Text Michael Bruxo

April 9, 2019
Local rider qualifies for Special Olympics

Lucélia Glória will be representing Portugal in Abu Dhabi in 2019

When Quinta do Paraíso Alto (QPA) Riding Centre and the Bensafrim non-profit association Riding for the Disabled Barlavento began hosting therapeutic riding sessions for local disabled people in 2007, little did they know that this charitable adventure would eventually take them to the Special Olympics World Games. But the credit for such an incredible accomplishment goes not only to both entities, but especially to Lucélia Glória, the 30-year old rider from NECI (Núcleo de Educação da Criança Inadaptada) who will be representing Portugal in Abu Dhabi in March 2019.
Lucélia is one of the 20 riders from local associations, such as NECI, Casa de Santo Amaro and Algoz school, who enjoy the opportunity to take part in therapeutic horse riding sessions three times a week at the QPA premises in Bensafrim. Initially afraid of horses when she began riding eight years ago, Lucélia has blossomed into a confident rider who went on to conquer the gold medal in the national championships in her level in 2017 and 2018. Now, along with QPA’s manager and instructor Sue Wilson and physiotherapist Ângela Mesquita, she was chosen by the Portuguese Olympic Committee to represent Portugal. “We’ve been training with the national team once a month in Setúbal and we’re also hoping to do a estágio [traineeship] in the Algarve with them in February before we go to Abu Dhabi,” said Sue Wilson. Asked about her expectations for the competition, she is adamant: “In our eyes, she will always do well. It’s hard work, but it’s so worth it to make that little bit of difference in their lives.”

Text Ana Tavares

January 10, 2019
Floating fun, a first in Portugal

Hovertrack Portugal brings three fabulous hovercrafts to Portimão

Some people take the expression “New Year, new beginnings” to a whole new level and it’s safe to say that for Nuno and Fernanda Mourão, opening their dream, Hovertrack Portugal, on December 31, 2016 fits that phrase perfectly.

The first of its kind in Portugal, with three hovercrafts on site and an ever- changing track, the hovertrack has been purposebuilt and the business has taken over three years of bureaucratic blood, sweat and tears to finally come to fruition. Inside Magazine took the opportunity to visit Hovertrack Portugal a few weeks after opening to meet the people who made it happen and try out the hovercrafts for ourselves. We set off from Carvoeiro taking the pretty, scenic drive up towards the Autódromo do Algarve (Algarve Racetrack) and around 20 minutes later we came across the large sign for Hovertrack Portugal on the right-hand side. Glad that we decided to drive there by car rather than bike, we went offroad, down the dirt track towards the reception cabin where we met the lovely Nuno and Fernanda.

They showed us around the three, 300m tracks, which consist of both dry and wet areas with varying degrees of elevation and levels of difficulty to suit both novice and experienced pilots (drivers). Nuno told us: “It is different to anything anyone has ever driven or tried to drive.”

We headed back to the reception where we watched an informative orientation/instruction video to acquaint ourselves with the machines, along with basic operating techniques and a quick safety briefing. We were then ready to put on our protective overalls

and helmets and walked back to the track where the three, bright red and yellow hovercrafts were sitting.

Nuno explained: “The machines have 600cc, 17kw, four-stroke petrol engines that power the fans, lifting them off the ground and use pressurised air to keep them afloat.”

It’s pretty strange, but a lot of fun, when you start up the craft and the “tyre” fills with air – it’s a bit like riding a floating

quad bike, if you can imagine that … Steering is not as straight forward as you might imagine and the hovercrafts can pick up some speed as they glide over land and water, but they are actually very safe as the moment you take your hand off the throttle the skirt (tyre) deflates and the craft stops.

There are members of staff at various points on the track to guide and assist the pilot as and when they may need it. You can navigate the track at a leisurely pace if that’s your preference or, for the more adrenalineminded speed lovers out there, you can accelerate around the course and pick up some real momentum.

We asked Nuno and Fernanda how they came up with this unique idea and an animated Fernanda explained that this is in fact her husband’s childhood dream come true: “Nuno always loved engines, ever since he was a child. When he was young, he saw a hovercraft championship on TV – it must have been around 1994 – and he never forgot it.”

Nuno grew up working in mechincal engineering and spent a few years as a manager at the neighbouring Kartódromo do Algarve (Algarve Go-kart Track) where he could combine his love of engines and enjoy racing on the track.

When we asked the couple how they came up with the idea, they both smiled and Nuno told us that they were sitting at home thinking about track racing and what they could do in that area, they looked at each other and in unison said “hovercraft”.

The original project was pitched to a scheme called Portugal 2020, a partnership between the Portuguese and the European Commissions, with huge investment funding for the future. Unfortunately, the application wasn’t successful, but by this point they had invested so much time and energy into the business plan and could visualise Nuno’s childhood dream, that they took the brave decision to proceed alone.

The investment so far, has been considerable: finding the land, attaining the appropriate planning permissions and licences, creating the tracks, buying the hovercrafts and putting themselves on the map. Of course, as the business develops there will be a need to purchase more hovercrafts, change the track and the couple has some new and exciting ideas and they are involved in discussions to reactivate the championship races again with the help of local councils.

We did a 30-minute session, which was thoroughly enjoyable and plan on going back with a group. Prices are inclusive of

safety/instruction briefing, protective clothing and equipment, tuition and time in the hovercraft.

The couple has kindly extended a 10% discount to Inside Magazine readers with the regular prices being €45 for 20 minutes,

€60 for half an hour, €90 for 45 minutes and €115 for an hour | www.hovertrackportugal.com

Text & Photo: Mia Wallace

April 20, 2017