W52–FC Porto explained

W52–FC Porto
Code:	W52
Registered:	Portugal
Disbanded:	2022
Discipline:	Road
Bicycles:	SwiftCarbon
Website:	http://www.w52fcporto.com
Generalmanager:	Adriano Sousa
Season:	2004–2005 2006–2007 2008 2009–2010 2011 2012 2013–2014 2015 2016 2017 2018–2022
Oldname:	Casactiva–Quinta das Arcas–UCS Casactiva–Quinta das Arcas–Madeilongo–UCS Casactiva–Quinta das Arcas–Aluvia Aluvia–Valongo Pauperval–Estanhos Dom António–Valongo OFM/Valongo OFM–Quinta da Lixa–Goldentimes W52–Quinta da Lixa W52–FC Porto–Porto Canal W52–FC Porto–Mestre da Cor W52–FC Porto

W52–FC Porto was a professional road bicycle racing team, which participated in UCI Continental Circuits races before a doping scandal. This team is based in Felgueiras, Portugal,^[1] its title sponsors are clothing brand W52, and sports club FC Porto.^[2]

Founded in 2004, the team spent the first eight years competing at youth level (up to under-23) until it was registered as a UCI Continental team in 2013, under the commercial designation of OFM–Quinta da Lixa–Goldentimes. That year, the team competed for the first time in the Volta a Portugal, where it won three stages and, through Alejandro Marque, the general classification.^[3] The team won the general classification in the following four editions – through Gustavo César (2), Rui Vinhas and João Rodrigues – and added victories in the team classification.^[4] ^[5]

In 2022, the team's sports license was revoked by UCI for doping, with seven cyclists being suspended from three to seven years. The team's assistant sports director, José Rodrigues, received a 25-year suspension by ADoP.^[6]

Doping scandal

In March 2021, W52–FC Porto's rider Raúl Alarcón had 19 victories stripped for doping, including two wins at Volta a Portugal.^[7] In April 2022, twelve cyclists of W52–FC Porto were made arguidos (formal suspects) in relation to a doping scandal.^[8] ^[9] Later in July, eight cyclists and two mechanics were suspended for 120 days by ADoP,^[10] with the UCI revoking the team's sports license days later, thus excluding W52–FC Porto from the 2022 Volta a Portugal.^[11]

On 4 October 2022, seven W52–FC Porto riders were banned for doping: João Rodrigues, for a total of seven years, Rui Vinhas, Ricardo Mestre, Ricardo Vilela, Daniel Mestre, José Neves, and Samuel Caldeira, for three years each.^[12]

Major wins

2004

Overall Troféu RTP, Gilberto Sampaio

2009

Overall Volta à Madeira, Bruno Silva

Prologue, Team time trial

Stages 1, 2 & 4, Bruno Silva

Stage 3, Luís Afonso

Stage 5, Jorge Silva

Overall Troféu RTP, Carlos Baltazar

Overall Troféu RTP Jocilma/Ribeiro da Silva/Cidade de Lordelo, Carlos Baltazar

Overall Troféu RTP Município de Valongo, Carlos Baltazar

Overall Volta a Portugal do Futuro, Marco Cunha

Stages 2, 3 & 4, Marco Cunha

Stage 5 Carlos Baltazar

2010

Stages 2 & 3 Volta a Portugal do Futuro, Bruno Silva

Overall Volta a Albergaria, Francisco Costa

2013

Overall Grande Prémio Liberty Seguros, Delio Fernandez

Overall Troféu Joaquim Agostinho, Eduard Prades

Stage 3, Eduard Prades

Overall Volta a Portugal, Alejandro Marque

Stage 3, Delio Fernandez

Stage 8, Gustavo Veloso

Stage 9 (ITT), Alejandro Marque

2014

Stage 2 Volta ao Alentejo, Eduard Prades

Stage 5 Volta ao Alentejo, Samuel Caldeira

Overall Troféu Joaquim Agostinho, Delio Fernandez

Overall Volta a Portugal, Gustavo Veloso

Stage 9 (ITT), Gustavo Veloso

2015

Overall Volta a Portugal, Gustavo Veloso

Stages 2 & 7, Delio Fernández

Stages 6 & 9, Gustavo Veloso

Overall Tour do Rio, Gustavo Veloso

Stage 2, Gustavo Veloso

2016

Overall Volta a Portugal, Rui Vinhas

Prologue, Rafael Reis

Stages 4, 6 & 10, Gustavo Veloso

2017

~~Stage 5 Volta ao Algarve, Amaro Antunes~~

~~Overall Vuelta a Asturias, Raúl Alarcón~~

~~Stage 3, Raúl Alarcón~~

~~Stage 1 Vuelta Ciclista Comunidad de Madrid, Raúl Alarcón~~

~~Stage 3 GP Beiras e Serra da Estrela, Raúl Alarcón~~

~~Overall Troféu Joaquim Agostinho, Amaro Antunes~~

~~Stage 2, Amaro Antunes~~

~~Overall Volta a Portugal, Raúl Alarcón~~

~~Stages 1 & 4, Raúl Alarcón~~^[7]

Stage 2, Samuel Caldeira

Stages 5 & 10 (ITT), Gustavo Veloso

Stage 9, Amaro Antunes

2018

Stage 5 (ITT) Volta ao Alentejo, Gustavo Veloso

Stage 2 GP Beiras e Serra da Estrela, César Fonte

Stage 3 Vuelta a Asturias, Ricardo Mestre

Troféu Joaquim Agostinho, José Fernandes

~~Overall Grande Prémio de Portugal N2, Raúl Alarcón~~

~~Stage 1, Raúl Alarcón~~

~~Overall Volta a Portugal, Raúl Alarcón~~^[7]

~~Stages 3, 4 & 9, Raúl Alarcón~~

2019

Overall Volta ao Alentejo, João Rodrigues Stage 5 (ITT), João Rodrigues GP Beiras e Serra da Estrela, Daniel Mestre

Stage 3 Vuelta a Asturias, Edgar Pinto

Prologue GP Internacional Torres Vedras, Gustavo César

Overall Volta a Portugal, João Rodrigues Prologue, Samuel Caldeira

Stage 3, Daniel Mestre Stage 4 & 10 (ITT), João Rodrigues Stage 9, António Carvalho

2020

Overall Volta a Portugal, Amaro Antunes

Prologue & Stage 8 (ITT), Gustavo César

Stage 2, Amaro Antunes

2021

Overall Volta ao Algarve, João Rodrigues

Road Race Championships, José Fernandes

Stage 4 Volta ao Alentejo, Daniel Mestre

Stage 3 Troféu Joaquim Agostinho, José Fernandes

~~Overall Volta a Portugal, Amaro Antunes~~

National Championships

2021

Portuguese National Road Race, José Fernandes

See also

Notes and References

Web site: W52–FC Porto–Mestre da Cor. ProCyclingStats.com. 2 January 2016.
News: Dragons return to cycling, 31 years later. 2 January 2016. FC Porto. 6 December 2015.
Web site: OFM – Quinta da Lixa 2013. ProCyclingStats.com. 2 January 2016.
Web site: OFM – Quinta da Lixa 2014. ProCyclingStats.com. 2 January 2016.
Web site: W52–Quinta da Lixa 2015. ProCyclingStats.com. 2 January 2016.
https://www.abola.pt/nnh/2023-06-30/ciclismo-diretor-da-w52-suspenso-por-25-anos/994355 Diretor da W52–FC Porto suspenso por 25 anos!
News: 10 March 2021. Raúl Alarcón perde duas Voltas a Portugal devido a suspensão por doping. Raúl Alarcón loses two Volta a Portugal for doping suspension. pt. A Bola. 10 March 2021. dead. 10 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210310110832/https://www.abola.pt/nnh/2021-03-10/ciclismo-raul-alarcon-perde-duas-voltas-a-portugal-devido-a-suspensao-por-doping/882152.
https://www.record.pt/modalidades/ciclismo/detalhe/w52-fc-porto-12-arguidos-no-escandalo-de-doping W52-FC Porto: 12 arguidos no escândalo de doping
https://desporto.sapo.pt/modalidades/ciclismo/artigos/detencoes-apos-escandalo-de-doping-podem-levar-a-extincao-da-w52-fc-porto Detenções após escândalo de doping podem levar a extinção da W52-FC Porto
https://rr.sapo.pt/bola-branca/noticia/modalidades/2022/07/15/doping-oito-ciclistas-da-w52-fc-porto-suspensos-preventivamente/292462/ Doping. Oito ciclistas da W52-FC Porto suspensos preventivamente
News: Brown. Roy. 27 July 2022. UCI withdraws W52-FC Porto license. From tons of banned pills to blood bags. The Nation View. 28 July 2022.
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling/7-w52-fc-porto-riders-get-doping-bans-former-volta-a-portugal-winner-joao-rodrigues-banned-for-7-years 7 W52-FC Porto riders get doping bans, former Volta a Portugal winner João Rodrigues banned for 7 years