Gustavo Cesar Veloso (W52) took a hugely surprising victory in stage 6 of the Volta a Portugal on a day that was expected to give the sprinters a rare chance to shine. Jose Goncalves (Caja Rural) crossed the finish line first but was relegated for irregular sprinting, meaning that the race leader got the wint and extended his overall lead.

After two tough uphill finishes, race leader Gustavo Cesar Veloso went into today’s stage 6 of the Volta a Portugal hoping for an easy day ahead of tomorrow’s rest day. After all, the flat profile suggested that it would be a day for the sprinters.

However, the day ended in a completely different way as Veloso took the stage win on a day when he is unlikely to have expected it. With the uphill finishing straight being much harder than expected, he came out on top after yesterday’s stage winner Jose Goncalves had been relegated for irregular sprinting.

"I don't like to win like this, with this type of polemics," he said. "I like to win in a tranquil and satisfied way. I can not tell if it's a good decision. I also had doubts. I never know what can happen in these finishes."