An Olympic champion, the winner of the last two editions, and a two-time Mountain Bike World Champion raise expectations ahead of the race. The preliminary entry list for the 87th Volta a Portugal Jogos Santa Casa was released this Sunday.

The main highlight is Rui Oliveira. The Olympic Madison champion, one of the biggest names in Portuguese cycling today, is part of the powerful UAE Team Emirates XRG and is expected to be one of the main attractions of the race. Alongside the Portuguese rider are young talents such as Spain’s Adrià Pericas and Italy’s Luca Giaimi, further strengthening the Emirati squad, which also brings Matvei Boldyrev back to Portugal after his victory in this year’s Volta a Portugal do Futuro.

Another name that immediately stands out is Artem Nych. Winner of the last two editions of the Volta a Portugal, he will start with race number 1 and lead Anicolor/Campicarn. The Russian once again lines up as one of the leading contenders for the Jogos Santa Casa Yellow Jersey.

The international strength of the peloton is also underlined by the presence of Brazilian rider Henrique Avancini, one of the greatest figures in the history of mountain biking. In Portugal, he will take on the challenge of road racing with Localiza Meoo / Swift Pro Cycling.

The Volta also marks the return of two Spanish ProTeams with a strong history in the Portuguese race: Euskaltel-Euskadi and Burgos Burpellet BH.

The Basque team returns with Txomin Juaristi, runner-up in the overall classification in 2023, while Burgos Burpellet BH brings promising youngster Hugo de la Calle, who this year claimed the Best Young Rider classification at the GP Beiras e Serra da Estrela.

The peloton will feature 119 riders representing 17 teams.

It should be noted, however, that this is still a provisional entry list and is subject to change until the official confirmation of the seven riders that each team will field at the start. The final start list will be confirmed following the Sports Directors’ meeting on Tuesday, ahead of the official team presentation at the Padrão dos Descobrimentos.