LIVEBLOG Figueira Champions Classic | Defending champion António Morgado the man to beat in hilly classic
CyclingSaturday, 14 February 2026 at 12:27
The first Portuguese race of the year, the Figueira Champions Classic is taking place today. The race comes as a precursor to the Volta ao Algarve, which will begin next week. It features a hilly terrain, with a final circuit in which two short but very steep climbs will be passed that provide excellent opportunities for puncheurs, climbers and even classics specialists. UAE comes as the team to beat, with António Morgado and Brandon McNulty sharing the leadership and both in great shape. Who will come out on top today? Follow all the action in the Liveblog and stay UpToDate!
Profile of the 2026 Figueira Champions Classic
Read also
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Chill dude, we know Remco lives rent-free in your headmobk14-02-2026
- Maybe get a DS job Doper ! Your 20/20 hindsight analysis is getting lame!frieders314-02-2026
- ok, FINE, so van der poel’s resting rate is lower than mine, what about it?! (though i have no idea what it means, his MAX heart rate is comparatively low as well.)OCexile14-02-2026
- This looks like it'd be a good watch with a route like so
leedorney13-02-2026 - The thing is that until someone fails a test or is caught in some other way then riders should be considered innocent. However, when the climb times, level of competition, watts achieved and many other data points are taken into consideration and put in context with guys like Armstrong, whom they are kicking to 20th place on mountains he once dominated and held records on, when we know he was doping in his prime, it seems impossible that cheating at some level is not happening. I think a guy like Tadej is probably a guy who only comes along in two or three generations, looking at the way he wins across different cycling disciplines tells me this. Like everything else, time will tell the truth. I want guys like Tadej and Jonas to be clean and I hope they are, I'll keep believing anyway until someone who is really in the know, like a failed test or the UCI, tells me different.awp13-02-2026
- Stupid quote. There is not a single person who in their life has not been lied to, for different reasons: also self-defense, kindness, mercy with others, etc. Then is a world of unrepentant DANGEROUS liars? you included?. And why is this atmosphere of CONSTANT suspicion and accusation only applicable to cycling and not to all sports that have had mega doping scandals?
maria2024202413-02-2026 - What a wet stage. I love it when the breakaway wins, especially with a Conti rider. Fabulous!RidesHills13-02-2026
- The UAE Tour is now level on UCI points with the 7 major stage races, and looking at the 2026 route, I think it deserves it. Previously, it was comprised of 4 flat stages for the sprinters (with the opening stage to Liwa Palace being an uphill finish), 1 flat ITT, 1 shallow summit finish to Jebel Jais (which served only to kick out the non-GC contenders like Joshua Tarling, as it always ends in a sprint of the climbers) and 1 steep summit finish of Jebel Hafeet (where the GC is always decided). In this route, one flat sprint has been replaced with the hilly Fujairah stage, a novelty in the race, providing variation not normally seen here. The Jebel Jais stage has been replaced with the Jebel Yibir stage, and crucially this comes before the easier Jebel Hafeet stage (if it had been the other way round, riders would go easy on Jebel Hafeet). In addition to this, the opening and closing stages (Liwa Palace and the Abu Dhabi Breakwater) have become iconic. What's missing is that all the mountain stages have very little variation, all being unipuerto. Because they don't have big mountain passes, the solution is to make some of their big climbs into dual carriageways. Jebel Jais and Jebel Hafeet are already very wide. That also opens up the possibility of having mountain stages with flat finishes, which increases variation further. Of course there are the ethical issues of promoting further a race in such a country. The question would be if previous winners of the race will have their wins counted as triumphs in a major stage race. This race doesn't have the history but that can't be used as a defining metric because then there's no hope for any new race.
Rafionain-Glas13-02-2026 - Remco Mustafa is a f**** liar. He knew very well that Pogi will not race the UAE Tour. In December 2025 Pogi said, that he doesn't have a schedule yet but his first race will be Strade Bianche. After asked about the UAE Tour, he said NO, not next year. Capish, you Belgian Mustafa?Mou-Cro-HR13-02-2026
- Zonneveld is trying to make a name for himself attacking Pogacar like David Walsh of the Sunday Times attacked Pharmstrong all those years. Only difference really, at the end of all things Walsh was a damned fine investigative journalist.....slappers6613-02-2026
Loading
Write a comment