W52–FC Porto

W52–FC Porto
Team information
UCI code	W52
Registered	Portugal
Founded	2004
Disbanded	2022
Discipline(s)	Road
Status	Amateur (2004–2012); UCI Continental (2013–2018, 2020–2022); UCI Professional Continental (2019);
Bicycles	SwiftCarbon
Website	Team home page
Key personnel
General manager	Adriano Sousa
Team manager(s)	Nuno Ribeiro; Hélder Alves;
Team name history
2004–2005; 2006–2007; 2008; 2009–2010; 2011; 2012; 2013–2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018–2022	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 (UCI team code: W52) 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In 2022, the team's sports license was revoked by UCI for doping, with seven cyclists being suspended from three to seven years.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]

Team roster

As of 11 February 2022.^[13]

	Rider	Date of birth
Amaro Antunes (POR)		(1990-11-27) 27 November 1990 (age 34)
Joni Brandão (POR)		(1989-11-20) 20 November 1989 (age 35)
Samuel Caldeira (POR)		(1985-11-30) 30 November 1985 (age 39)
José Fernandes (POR)		(1995-10-30) 30 October 1995 (age 29)
José Gonçalves (POR)		(1989-02-13) 13 February 1989 (age 35)
Jorge Magalhães (POR)		(1997-02-10) 10 February 1997 (age 27)

	Rider	Date of birth
Daniel Mestre (POR)		(1986-04-01) 1 April 1986 (age 38)
Ricardo Mestre (POR)		(1983-09-11) 11 September 1983 (age 41)
Guilherme Mota (POR)		(2000-07-12) 12 July 2000 (age 24)
João Rodrigues (POR)		(1994-11-15) 15 November 1994 (age 30)
Ricardo Vilela (POR)		(1987-12-18) 18 December 1987 (age 37)
Rui Vinhas (POR)		(1986-12-06) 6 December 1986 (age 38)