The opening two stages are described as hilly but they don't look particularly selective. Still the 150km on stage 1 to Albufeira go up and down all day long, with a tricky little bump before the finish.
We have a couple of sprints and 3rd cat KoM points along the way as well to keep a break or bunch interested.
A group of three riders darted out of the pack early on and quickly got two minutes.
Hoelgaard, Matt and Ma make up the break.
Hoelgaard takes the first sprint over Matt and Ma.
The three are fairly evenly matched as climbers Matt takes the first KoM which will please AirBaltic's management. Ma is second with Hoelgaard third.
So the early primes are out of the way the break push on to build a maximum lead over just over seven minutes. Rothaus, Prio Porto and Adira share the work to start to reduce the gap.
75km to go and the gap is about 5 and a half minutes between the pack and the break. Bad moment for Huzerski to fall.
Alstom and SRAM have now come to the front to help with the pacing.
Today's finish is difficult to really judge...
It doesn't really look selective, but it isn't really that flat either. A number of teams helping with the pacing suggests team managers are hoping for something to happen. Huzerski meanwhile does very well to rejoin the pack having to work hard on his own. Obviously Efimkin is giving him an education.
Sprint fans will note that it is Kip struggling on the back of the pack just behind Van Loocke. We'll see if they can get to the front for the finale.
The front trio are now on the last categorised climb and it is a steep short one. It's very tight between Ma and Matt.
But Matt is given the nod to seal the jersey for today.
In the pack to steep climb manages to unhitched several riders including Santos, who along with Vinhas is trying to pace himself back to the pack.
Those behind him and dropped include: Cucinotta (Which will possibly please the sadistic manager!), hill hater Kip , Bpost reject Van Loocke (Adira) and TT old timer Lang.
So some drama behind as up front Hoelgaard makes it two sprints from two winning the final bonus sprint over Ma and Matt.
SRAM, Alstom, Adira and Rothaus continue to press at the front with the gap to the three leaders under three minutes with 30km to go.
A few more riders slip off the back including (and we hear a computer being smashed in Australia) Fiellu, Soupe and Ciocan.
There goes Haddou also, no-one 'Saïd' PCT was going to be easy.
22km to and Ianetti attacks and pushes the pace even more.
It's one of those scratching heads moments for ING as Van Winden gets dropped at this moment.
Also getting dropped is Van Aelbroeck another decent tester bites the dust. There is just 49 left in the pack so today is at least proving attritional.
15km to go and the lead 3's lead dips under a minute with constant raising of the pace in the pack. Now as if to shame this writers preview Efimkin powers forward.
We can see Ianetti behind with Mehr-Wenige now playing close attention. With Efimkin getting a 15 second gap, Mehr-Wenige uses a slight rise to try and force himself clear.
Koldo Gil follows as these two nip past Efimkin (who slips back to the pack) and up to Ma and Matt. Hoelgaard as moved ahead alone.
The SRAM - Alstom controlled pack reels in the middle group as now Popkov goes as we move into the last 10 kilometres.
6km to go and Cornu leads the catch himself, he looks in the mood to attack and try to get himself some sort of advantage...
..of Dave Z who is nestled like Boom some way back.
We approach that rather shallow but couple klick rise in the last five kilometres and yet more attacks...
Mendes leads it and he may know the area, Scarponi, Fonte and Huzerski look to mark the Portuguese.
No Dice though as we head up this 4% big gear climb... Mehr-Wenige now with Cornu looking to chase.
2.5km to go and it may be a well timed move by the German champ as the hill flattens.
Cornu, Efimkin and Mendes are the chasers with Kirylenka leading the pack. The world champions jersey of Boom and the ING jersey of Zabriskie are nowhere to be seen.
2km to go. They've crested the rise.
Mehr-Wenige still has a gap of around 9 seconds. We know that this may not be credited but he still looks good for the stage win. Cornu is looking for those time bonuses and leads the pack still.
The Belgian could get swamped though.
The Alstom pair on the left are Boily and Anderson, Cardoso is the Privatbanker next to them. Efimkin, Scarponi, Mendes are centre with Fonte the next green jerseyed Privatbanker. Kirylenka, Mandri, Huzerski.
Indeed Cornu does get swamped.
The Alstom duo Anderson and Boily are dragging Duggan through.
Mehr-Wenige is now fading under the kite.
Cardoso is there and should have some speed but he has been on a long sprint. Devenyns has followed Duggan through also dangerous could be Geschke, Vitoria and Roy who are the back of the fastest finishing batch of riders.
750m left.
Cardoso looks like he is fading as Boily comes through (amazingly Gil is now off the back by the way, he must have the worlds worst sprint).
500m left.
Boily is on Mehr-Wenige's shoulder. As Duggan and Geschke look like getting blocked.
250m to go.
Duggan just might have space to get past Mehr-Wenige but Boily has a bike length, as Geschke tries to poke himself through the eye of a needle.
Boily just...
Mehr-Wenige holds second place richly deserved for attacking. Duggan just squeezes through for third with Anderson 4th, Cardoso 5th, Devernyns 6th, Vitoria 7th, Geschke 8th.
A really tactical little finish there, with some decent Chrono men losing big time.
Stage
48 riders finished together in the lead group, you have to believe the winner of this whole race will be one of them. Alstom had the numbers in the sprint there, with Mehr-Wenige a bit unlucky he didn't hold on.
GC
Hoelgaard, Matt and Ma held on from today's break to give decent GC places. Alstom did a lot of work in the pack today and will do so again in tomorrows fiddly stage.
