| Team information | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCI code | SLB | |||||||
| Registered | Portugal | |||||||
| Founded | 5 May 1906 | |||||||
| Disbanded | 2008 | |||||||
| Discipline(s) | Road | |||||||
| Status | UCI ProTeam | |||||||
| Bicycles | Specialized | |||||||
| ||||||||
| Defunct departments of S.L. Benfica | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Sport Lisboa e Benfica ( UCI team code:SLB), commonly known as Benfica, was a professional road bicycle racing team based in Lisbon, Portugal.
Cycling was the main sport of the original Grupo Sport Benfica formed in 1906. Upon the merger with Sport Lisboa in 1908, a cycling department established within the new Sport Lisboa e Benfica, and along with football, is one of only two sports referenced in the club's logo. The sport was in activity from 1906 to 1941, 1947 to 1978, 1999 to 2000, and once again for two seasons in 2007 and 2008.
In 1931 the Portuguese cycling legend José Maria Nicolau won the Volta a Portugal and helped Benfica to win the Volta as a team. Benfica won the Volta once again in 1932. In 1934, Benfica won the Volta for the third time with Nicolau being the overall winner, beating his rival Alfredo Trindade from Sporting of Lisbon. After some years without success, Benfica won another Volta as a team in 1939. The benfiquistas had to wait until 1947 (due to the end of the cycling section in 1941) to see once again one of their cyclists winning the Volta. It was José Martins, who also helped Benfica to win the Volta as a team.
In 1963, Benfica won its sixth Volta a Portugal, but had to wait two more years to see a Benfica cyclist winning the Volta. It was Peixoto Alves, who was succeeded by Francisco Valada one year later and another team win.
In 1968 Américo Silva won the Volta, but Benfica failed to win it as a team. That happened in 1974, when Benfica won its eighth Volta (and due to the cycling section's end in 1978 the last one for a long time) and its cyclist Fernando Mendes the seventh individual Volta for Benfica. Two years later, in 1976, Firmino Bernardino won the last Volta for Benfica before its end in 1978.
It was the Spanish cyclist David Plaza, the first foreigner to win a Volta for Benfica, who won the last individual Volta for Benfica in 1999. It was the same year that Benfica won its ninth and so far last Volta a Portugal. Another Spanish Benfica cyclist, Melcior Mauri, won the Volta ao Algarve.
In 2007, the newly created Benfica cycling team around superstar José Azevedo ended the 2007–2008 UCI Europe Tour in 27th with 622 points. [1] In 2008, Rubén Plaza won the Vuelta a Valencia.
2007-08 UCI Europe Tour Teams Results
José Bento Azevedo Carvalho is a Portuguese retired road racing cyclist, and most recently, general manager of UCI WorldTeam Team Katusha–Alpecin. During his racing career, Azevedo rode for ONCE–Eroski between 2001 and 2003 and for U.S. Postal Service between 2004 and 2006.
Bernhard Eisel is an Austrian professional road bicycling racer, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam Team Dimension Data.
LA Alumínios–LA Sport is a Portuguese UCI Continental cycling team based in Paredes. It participates in the UCI Continental Circuits.
LA-MSS was a Portuguese UCI Continental cycling team originally based in Maia, Portugal, later in Póvoa de Varzim, that disbanded by mid 2008 after a police raid at the headquarters.
Rubén Plaza Molina is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2019 for the Comunidad Valenciana–Kelme, S.L. Benfica, Liberty Seguros, Movistar Team, Lampre–Merida, Orica–Scott and Israel Cycling Academy teams. During his career, he recorded a top 5 overall placing in the 2005 Vuelta a España, and won three Grand Tour stages.
Sports in Portugal are important in Portuguese culture. Football is the most popular sport in Portugal. Other than football, many other professional or semi-professional well organized sport competitions take place every season in Portugal, including basketball, swimming, athletics, tennis, gymnastics, futsal, rink hockey, team handball, volleyball, surfing, canoeing and rugby union championships among the hundreds of sports played in this country.
Cândido Joaquim Venda Moreira Barbosa is a former professional road racing cyclist from 1995 to 2010, where he decided to end his career as a professional road racing cyclist due to a serious injury on both of his knees.
Daniel John Martin is an Irish professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Israel Start-Up Nation. Born and raised in England, Martin represents Ireland in competition through his Irish mother.
Rui Alberto Faria da Costa, ComIH is a Portuguese professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam UAE Team Emirates. He is best known for winning the 2013 UCI Road World Championships in Tuscany, Italy – the first Portuguese rider to do so –, three stages of the Tour de France in 2011 and 2013, and the 2012, 2013 and 2014 editions of the Tour de Suisse, becoming the first cyclist to win the event for three consecutive years.
Tiago José Pinto Machado is a Portuguese professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team Efapel.
The 2011 Volta ao Algarve was the 37th edition of the Volta ao Algarve cycling stage race. It was held from 16–20 February 2011, and was rated as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Just like the previous year, it started at the Algarve Stadium in Faro and ended with an individual time trial in Portimão.
Eduardo Lopes (1917−1997) was a Portuguese professional road and track cyclist.
André Fernando Cardoso Santos Martins is a Portuguese professional road racing cyclist. He is currently suspended from the sport after a positive doping test.
Edgar Miguel Lemos Pinto is a Portuguese cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team W52–FC Porto.
Amaro Manuel Raposo Antunes is a Portuguese cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team W52–FC Porto. In May 2019, he was named in the startlist for the 2019 Giro d'Italia.
The 2017 Volta ao Algarve was a road cycling stage race that took place in the Algarve region of Portugal between 15 and 19 February 2017. It was the 43rd edition of the Volta ao Algarve and was rated as a 2.HC event as part of the 2017 UCI Europe Tour.
Feirense is a Portuguese professional road race cycling team founded in 1983 that is currently based in Albergaria-a-Velha, competing on the UCI Continental Circuits.
The 2018 Volta ao Algarve was a road cycling stage race that took place in the Algarve region of Portugal between 14 and 18 February 2018. It was the 44th edition of the Volta ao Algarve and was rated as a 2.HC event as part of the UCI Europe Tour.
The 2019 Volta ao Algarve is a road cycling stage race that took place in the Algarve region of Portugal between 20 and 24 February 2019. It was the 45th edition of the Volta ao Algarve and was rated as a 2.HC event as part of the UCI Europe Tour.
The 2020 Volta ao Algarve was a road cycling stage race that took place in the Algarve region of Portugal between 19 and 23 February 2020. It was the 46th edition of the Volta ao Algarve and is rated as a 2.Pro event as part of the 2020 UCI Europe Tour and the 2020 UCI ProSeries.
