Artem Nych moves into overall race lead with only individual time trial remaining on Sunday Abner González (Efapel Cycling) charged to the summit of Monte Farinha on stage 9 of the Volta a Portugal and claimed the victory on the queen stage Artem Nych (Sabgal-Anicolor) crossed the finish six seconds back at Mondim de Basto next to the Senhora da Graça sanctuary and moved into the overall race lead displacing Portuguese rider Afonso Eulálio (ABTF Betão-Feirense) He joined the day’s breakaway of 30 riders early on and stayed at the front of the race until the final 200 metres to move from 13th to the GC lead González conquered the 10km climb of the 170.8km stage but only distancing Nych in the final section He used the ride to move 14 positions in the general classification now 49 seconds behind the new race leader Nych This stage was very special for me and the team was great We wanted to change and turn things around and everyone’s work was huge We’re going to fight to win the Tour of Portugal Sunday brings the finale of the 10-day stage race a hilly 26.6km individual time trial in Viseu Results powered by FirstCycling a sports marketing and public relations agency which managed projects for Tour de Georgia a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast) Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France) This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The TimesThe woman sits on the steps of the old stone house her weather-beaten face cracks into a smile and she calls out a few words Despite my best efforts to pick up a bit of Portuguese on Duolingo I wonder idly if we should stop and try to chat She’s one of just eight inhabitants in Assureira a tiny isolated village in Portugal’s rural north and might welcome the novelty of a few new faces Duo the owl is forgiven; his basic Portuguese course doesn’t cover the vocabulary needed to understand the cheerful but highly colourful commentary on the behaviour and sanitary habits of the woman’s pigs a tributary of the River DouroALAMYThe landscape is bucolic with gently sloping pastures dotted with indigenous Maronesa cattle prized for their beef and gentle tempers — a blessing considering their long Steeper banks are a patchwork of yellow gorse purple heather and bracken turning autumnal terracotta A hawk flaps lazily into the branches of a cork oak Though we’re just an hour north of the vine-laced slopes of the Douro Valley (Portugal’s most famous wine region) the coaches of cruise passengers have melted away and we barely see a glimpse of another hiker out on the trails Everything here, from agriculture to tourism, is small-scale, and the region isn’t heavily marketed abroad. The other guests at the hilltop Agua Hotels Mondim de Basto are either moving on — a Lycra-clad party cycling Portugal from top to bottom — or staying still, with a handful of Porto dwellers who’ve escaped the city to snooze by the infinity pool we’re regarded with benign interest by the occasional farmer we encounter as we walk tranquil walks are the backbone of our trip with adventure tour operator Exodus They quit Porto to return to their rural roots and are passionate about introducing visitors to Mondim de Basto a little-visited area sitting where northern Portugal’s two traditional landscapes meet We walk in both; one day meandering through the fertile farmland of the Minho our steps scented by the mint and verbena crushed under our boots our mouths stained red by grapes snaffled from the tall vines that are traditionally trained over high iron trellises we hike among the wilder forests and granite peaks of the Tras-os-Montes region tracing the banks of a levada — one of the ancient irrigation channels built as early as the 12th century Water boatmen fight against the stream’s flow which is achieved via a carefully engineered incline gentle enough to make the walk feel almost flat Our footfalls dulled by a springy carpet of pine needles and oak leaves we startle a clutch of skittish Maronesa cattle who dart away with an unexpectedly sprightly turn of speed Perhaps they sense what I’m planning to order at dinner that evening All products and brands mentioned in this article are selected by our writers and editors based on first-hand experience or customer feedback We feature properties from a specially selected list of trusted operators who are of a standard that we believe our readers expect This article contains links which are ads and if you click on a link and buy a product we will earn revenue The revenue generated will help us to support the content of this website and to continue to invest in our award-winning journalism Mondim de Basto on the River CabrilGETTY IMAGESThat night a cosy family-run restaurant with stone walls and wooden tables in the heart of Mondim de Basto’s quiet town centre just steps from the rather elegant 17th-century town hall my steak is lightly marbled and succulent — perfect to pair with a red wine easy-drinking white wines I’d tried before wouldn’t suit beef I’m surprised — I had no idea such a thing existed Traditionally served in white ceramic cups this red wine was once the most common in the region ● 12 reasons to visit the Douro Valley● Where to go in Portugal: 10 secret spots the locals love It’s a little acidic for my palate — I prefer the velvety reds from the Douro — but I do fall hard for the Vinho Verde whites and rosés that have come to dominate the market in the past 20 years I find my favourite at Quinta das Escomoeiras a small organic vineyard set high above the Tamega River with stellar views and a sense of total seclusion Bought in ruins by retired economist Fernando Fernandes it took 14 years to create the idyll it is today rebuilding the stone houses and replanting the steep terraced fields When an oenologist came to see the original site he found 16 different grape varieties growing in the ancient style Now Fernandes focuses on the classics — azal borracal and vinhao — and produces just 8,000 bottles a year I decide there’s room in my suitcase for one bottle of the bright Quinta das EscomoeirasA2Z ADVENTURESThis trip has a dual focus: the perfect pairing of walking and wine As well as taking a deep dive into Vinho Verde we also head for the sun-drenched terraces of the Douro Valley and here and there among the green of the vines we spot leaves turning crimson and gold At the end of our walks we try both Douro table wines and many a glass of port learning how different production processes create fruity ruby ports which can be paired with tonic (delicious) ● Book a walking and wine adventure in Portugal with Times Travel but Carla and Fernando still manage to take us where the crowds are not lofty route of the former Corgo railway line and among the vines of the Quinta do Tedo winery Maronesa cows of Mondim de BastoALAMYWe’re a sociable band of 13 travellers — a group small enough to fit in a couple of minivans and eat in local restaurants allowing us to avoid the Douro’s most commercial and crowded spots but none of us knew the Vinho Verde region Viewing it through Carla and Fernando’s eyes has given us a kind of x-ray vision — seeing beyond the beautiful landscapes to the time-honoured agricultural practices that moulded them I’ve returned home with new wine knowledge and a new love affair with northern Portugal If only I’d listened a little harder to the lady in Assureira I might have picked up a few new phrases too which offers eight days’ room-only on its Portugal: Walking & Wine Premium Adventure from £2,399pp Sign up for our Times Travel newsletter and follow us on Instagram and Twitter Sabgal-Anicolor all-rounder Artem Nych claimed outright victory in the 10-day Volta a Portugal on Sunday his tight triumph in the closing time trial stage providing a final boost to an overall lead captured on a summit finish 24 hours earlier A winner of stage 6 and the Volta race leader after taking second on stage 9 on the category 1 summit finish of Mondim de Basto on Saturday Nych then rounded out the biggest victory of his career with a triumph in the final 26-kilometre ITT in the easterly town of Viseu The 29-year-old narrowly beat his Danish teammate Julius Johansen by just three seconds in the rolling time trial Swiss racer Colin Stüssi (Vorarlberg) placed third Despite his minimal advantage in the time trial overall Nych finished comfortably ahead of the field claiming Portugal’s most venerable stage race Third place on GC went to Efapel climber and Mondim de Basto stage winner Abner González Alasdair FotheringhamSocial Links NavigationAlasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991 He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain he has also written for The Independent,  The Guardian,  ProCycling Avenida da Liberdade hosts the National Parade of Philharmonic Bands part of the celebrations of the Restoration of Independence in Portugal coming from several parts of the country and composed of musicians from different generations opens the 11th National Philharmonic Band Parade the group is made up of players who maintain the tradition of the old Zés Pereiras an artistic and cultural model of traditional Portuguese percussion from Trás-os-Montes the bands gather at Praça dos Restauradores for a joint performance this year under the direction of Maestro Délio Gonçalves An interpretation of the Anthem of Maria da Fonte the Anthem of the Restoration and the National Anthem A Portuguesa which features the special participation of soloist Alessandra Samuel and the Coro dos Pupilos do Império Lisbon welcomes this initiative that aims to honor and disseminate a centuries-old musical practice that is fundamental for the musical and professional training of young people across the country The Philharmonic Bands Parade is an initiative organized by the 1st of December Movement Historical Society of the Independence of Portugal See the parade line-up at this link FIMFA Lx25 International Festival of Puppetry and Animated Forms “Variações Sobre Paredes” Concert at Praça do Município BAC – Banco de Arte Contemporânea Maria da Graça Carmona e Costa Read today's Portuguese stories delivered to your email We appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay for our services but if you are able to we ask you to support The Portugal News by making a contribution – no matter how small You can change how much you give or cancel your contributions at any time Send us your comments or opinion on this article Reaching over 400,000 people a week with news about Portugal Photograph: Jos Sarmento Matos/Demotix/Corbis Photograph: Jos Sarmento Matos/ Demotix/Corbis Photograph: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images Five Portuguese mountain villages were evacuated overnight as forest fires intensified in the country's north and center "If the police hadn't got me out of the house I would have died in the flames," said Maria Fernandes a villager from Bracal in the Caramulo mountains A pine forest that lies among the mountains was engulfed in flames as 425 firefighters a helicopter and two French planes dropping water tackled the blaze The same fire has already claimed the lives of two firefighters in the last week bringing the total killed in August to four and burnt with renewed vigor Thursday aided by strong winds We have to stop the fire reaching the villages at all cost," said Miguel Cruz a spokesman for Portugal's Civil Protection Authority Residents of Bracal spoke of their terror as the flames approached I wouldn't wish for anyone to have to live through the same situation," said Maria de Lurdes Cardoso one of the last to be evacuated with her husband As many as 1,400 firefighters were dispatched Thursday to tackle the blaze in the mountains and another raging further north in the national park of Alvao where 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres) of pine forest have already been destroyed said the scenes were "something out of Dante" "All the natural wealth has been destroyed," he said decimating tourism in the area and local income from resin extraction The French government promised Wednesday to allow two planes dispatched earlier this week to aid the relief effort to remain in Portugal until September 3 Almost 31,000 hectares have been destroyed by fire in Portugal this year according to its Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests