"In a long sprint I can hold my power quite well" - António Morgado on Figueira Champions Classic win

António Morgado has taken his second consecutive victory at the Figueira Champions Classic. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider won under different circumstances than last year, however his spotless performance saw him be the strongest on the day once again.

Since starting his season, he hadn't finished worst than eighth in any race. The Portuguese rider maintains that position with six one-day races already in his schedule. Coming into his home country, he was seen as one of the main favourites at the Figueira Champions Classic, a race where endurance doesn't play a role, but the ability to go through small climbs and having a strong sprint does.

This is ultimately what earned him the win. "I'm thrilled to take the win here in Portugal. The team was phenomenal - the strength and way they worked was impressive, we are lucky to have a group this strong and motivated". It was truly a collective victory, conquered not only due to the 22-year old's power, but the tactical use of Brandon McNulty, who attacked on the penultimate lap to make the race hard; and then in the final lap fully put himself in service of Morgado.

There was a lot of confidence deposited on the defending champion, in a group of several riders. UAE had the numbers, but didn't use them to attack. Instead, the full focus was to lead the group into the final climb where Morgado was indeed able to make the difference. An explosive attack saw only Alex Aranburu be able to follow.

"I knew Aranburu had a good finish but that in a long sprint I can hold my power quite well and in the end it counted. This is a special race for me especially since I won it last year," he described. In a long and flat sprint, he took his eighth pro win, in Figueira da Foz. "To already take my second win of the year is amazing and I hope we can continue like this as we head into the Volta Algarve."