The Portuguese cyclist Rafael Reis (Sabgal-Anicolor) won on Wednesday the inaugural prologue of the 85th edition of the Volta a Portugal, his fourth consecutive victory and the ninth stage in his career, and he is the first wearer of the yellow jersey in the race.
Reis, who has won the prologues in 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2023, triumphed on Wednesday in the 5.5 kilometers covered in Águeda, Aveiro, with a time of 6m48.046s.
Danish cyclist Julius Johansen, also from Sabgal-Anicolor, finished second, just 40 hundredths of a second behind, while American Tyler Stites (Echelon Racing) came in third, six seconds behind, in the first podium of the general classification of this 85th edition.
On Thursday, the first stage of the Volta a Portugal connects Sangalhos to the Observatório de Vila Nova, in Miranda do Corvo, over a distance of 158.2 kilometers, featuring a first-category climb of 9.9 kilometers with an average gradient of 8.2%, at the end of the stage, which includes three intermediate sprints (Cantanhede, Montemor-o-Velho, and Condeixa-a-Nova) and a second-category climb to Senhor da Serra.