"He should have given the victory to Nych or me" - How the Volta a Portugal's most famous mountain became the stage for a dramatic dispute
Cycling
The 2026 Volta a Portugal has been permanently marked by the passing of Finlay Tarling, but this Saturday the race has remained on the road. In a black leader's jersey, race leader dedicated his stage win on Senhora da Graça to the British rider who passed away the day before. His closest rival gestured at him in the finish line and provided some very controversial statements.
Volta a Portugal stays on the road after Fin Tarling tragedy
Stage 9 of the Volta began without many of its usual proceedings including the advertising convoy. A dark day for the race, symbolized by the black jersey, designed last-minute to pay tribute to Finlay Tarling who passed away the day before.
Whilst many questioned the race's ability to move forward, the tenth day of racing - counting the prologue - started in Paredes and finished in the Senhora da Graça climb, as initially planned.
Anicolor / Campicarn duo Alexis Guerin and Artem Nych had a comfortable gap over their rivals going into the final mountain stage, made even more comfortable after UAE Team Emirates - XRG's Adria Pericas - third in the overall classification - punctured on an off-road section before the final ascent.
The Senhora da Graça is Portugal's most iconic climb, going up the summit of Monte Farinha - 'Mount Flour', named due to its unique volcano-like shape. In the past, some of cycling's most memorable climbing performances took place on this climb.
This Saturday was not quite the case, but the climb delivered the drama. Guerin made a move halfway up the climb, followed by Nych and fifth place José Neves. Neves then led the climb up the final kilometers against the two Anicolor riders without asking for a relay.
In the final 300 meters, Guerin had the legs to make his move and take his second stage win of the week, adding it to the win on Serra da Estrela.
"I worked for Artem to win the stage, but near the end he told me he didn't have the legs," the Frenchman said in a post-race interview. He said that it is the team who pays him, and he was told to go and win the stage.
Neves gestured and clapped as Alexis Guerin won atop Senhora da Graça
Neves argues Guerin should've given him the win
In natural circumstances, that is the regular functioning of a cycling race. But at the summit of the climb, not everyone expected that. Neves paced up the final kilometers, and then aggressively gestured on two occasions behind Guerin.
As Guerin crossed the finish line, the images equally showed Neves ironically clapping behind, a sight rarely seen in cycling. There was a lot of contention, although it was not clear why that was the case.
“We came to the Tour with an ambition, which was to win a stage and place a rider in the top 10," Neves said on the RTP broadcast. "Things were starting to look up. In the first week we achieved our goal, we just needed the victory and today I wanted to give the victory to the team".
Neves, who returned to pro cycling in 2025 after a three-year suspension for possession of Human Growth Hormone - he was in the midst of the W52-FC Porto scandal - had been racing a consistent and strong Volta.
He wanted to take the stage win in tribute to Tarling, which did not happen. “I also wanted to win because of what happened yesterday during the stage… and it wasn’t possible". Guerin did pay his respect at the finish line following his triumph.
However Neves was under the belief that Guerin would not go and take the win on the 8-kilometer long climb, and that he would gift it. With Nych not having the legs, Neves appeared to expect being gifted the win.
“I think he should have given the victory to Nych or me, but that’s it. There are more races," he said, disappointingly.
This Sunday on stage 10, Neves begins the stage 6 seconds behind Pedro Silva in what is now a highly contested not only for the final podium, but for best Portuguese rider in the race. The hilly and cobbled final circuit in Porto could still see those gaps emerge.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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