Ryan Anderson wins stage and points competition at Troféu Alpendre Internacional do Guadiana

On Sunday, Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies continued to add to its successes on the Iberian Peninsula. Ryan Anderson won the second and final stage of the UCI 2.2 Troféu Alpendre Internacional do Guadiana in Portugal. The victory also secured the points-competition win for the Vancouver-based rider.

“The whole team was fantastic today,” Anderson said after the race. “We rode hard all day putting the race under pressure. It was a great team effort both days and it was really nice to finish off today with the stage win. The staff and riders have all been working really hard and it shows with how well our season is starting off.”

Optum’s goal at the start of the two-day stage race was an overall win. On the first day of the race, it fell to the team to reel in the day’s two-man breakaway. They misjudged by 16 seconds as the escapees stayed ahead of the group to the finish. Anderson took care of the final bunch sprint to gain third place. His lead-out man, fellow Canuck Guillaume Boivin, finished sixth. Optum was second in the team competition. Phil Gaimon finished second in the king of the mountains competition.

On Stage 2, Optum had to go back to work to manage the race. “We had Jordi Simon [Team Ecuador] in deep trouble most of the race,” said performance director Eric Wohlberg. “We simply threw down all day long, however, there wasn’t enough impetus from the rest of the field for us to dislodge him and take yellow.”

Anderson’s success follows that of Ottawa’s Michael Woods, who won the one-day Clássica Internacional Loulé Capital Europeia do Desporto on March 1.

From March 21 to 22, the team will compete in the Volta a Costa Vicentina, and then go directly to the Volta ao Alentajo (March 25-29) to conclude its block of racing on the continent. Optum’s women’s squad is scheduled to race the San Dimas Stage Race (March 27-29). The men’s first North American race will be Redlands Classic (April 8-12).