"I'm happy to have won last year; it's already made me feel more at ease. I feel like I no longer have the pressure to win, because I've already won once," assured the Russian cyclist.

Before beginning the defense of his title, Artem Nych gave an interview to Lusa news agency at the Anicolor-Tien21 headquarters in Vizela, in which he recalled the "hard-fought" 2024 victory, achieved after having been part of two successful breakaways, notably in the penultimate stage towards Senhora da Graça, when he already seemed completely out of the running for a podium finish.

"I hope it will be easier, but you never know. The race is very complicated; a lot of things can always happen. But we have a very strong team, and I'm not the only team leader; we have others. I think we'll do well," he anticipated.

Although his sports director, Rúben Pereira, said in an interview with Lusa that the Russian will be the sole leader, the 30-year-old cyclist has a different idea.

"I don't think I'm the leader," he reiterated, before naming teammate Alexis Guérin, Colombian Jesús David Peña (AP Hotels & Resorts–Tavira–SC Farense), and Ecuadorian Jonathan Caicedo (Petrolike) as the main contenders for the final victory in the 86th edition, not forgetting the Caja Rural team.

Nych shared the victories in the season's main races with Guérin, but argues that what happens during the year isn't always reflected in the results of the national calendar's crowning event.

"Sometimes we win a lot of races and finish fourth [as he did in 2023]. It's better to talk after we win," he said, laughing.

In the previous two editions, the 2021 Russian long-distance champion "weakened" in the high mountains, but admits he feels better prepared for the 86th Tour of Portugal, which has five summit finishes, six medium/high mountain stages, and constant ups and downs even on the "simplest" stages.

The increased confidence with which he faces the coming days is influenced by the fact that he has started receiving guidance from a coach: "For the last three or four years, I trained alone; now I train with a coach. Everything is more certain, more relaxed. I don't have to think about what to do or not do, so I have no doubts. I feel stronger, because sometimes I trained more than I needed to."

Still, the man who won the Douro Internacional and O Jogo Grand Prix this year and also finished on the podium at the Beiras and Serra da Estrela GP remembers that sensations don't always match what happens on the road.

"Sometimes you think you're at 200%, and then you get cut off on the way to the Serra da Estrela. But this year there's a time trial, which is perfect for me. I can gain some time on the time trial if I lose in the mountains," he said, referring to the 16.7-kilometer exercise that will conclude this edition of the race on August 17 in Lisbon.