Cyclist from A-dos-Francos (Caldas da Rainha) will lead UAE Emirates in the 2023 Giro. João Almeida lives and trains in Andorra and is aiming for the podium in the fourth Tour of Italy of his career at the age of 24. The 106th edition of the competition starts on Saturday (6th) in Fossacesia Marina (Abruzzo) and ends on the 28th next to the Colosseum in Rome.
After 4th place in 2020, 6th place in 2021 and a forced withdrawal due to covid-19, what will we have from João Almeida in 2022 in the 2023 Giro?
A João Almeida fighting for the podium. The goal is to stay in the top three. Any place on the podium will make me very happy, but of course if I get first place I will be even happier. Only one can win and let the best win… and I hope I’m the best so I can lift the greatest trophy in cycling.
Who will fight the most this year?
The best will be there and fight. The main candidates are Belgian Remco Evenepoel, current world champion, Slovenian Primoz Roglic, three-time champion of the Tour of Spain.
The Giro is one of the three major tours, along with the Tour (France) and the Vuelta (Spain). It’s three weeks of cycling on the road. How do you prepare for such an intense and exhausting test?
I feel good physically, I’m ready to hit the road. The races so far have been going well for me, I feel I’m in shape and I would say it has everything to go well. From theory to practice is sometimes a long way, but I hope that is not the case. The preparation for the 2023 Giro actually started in November last year and included races such as the Volta ao Algarve and Volta a Catalunya during these months. The pre-Giro is more about capturing details and helping to be more consistent, which is very important. The last week will be decisive.
And mentally? Do you already know that you are the boss at UEA Emirates and feel comfortable in the role of a leader?
(laughter) Good question. Mentally, the Giro is very tough, but yes, I am already doing well in that leadership role and I have colleagues who work for me. I’ve been on the other side and I know what it’s like. Experience gave me the confidence to do this and now it’s starting to get on the easier side. Working as a team and making sacrifices for the team is very important. The best and most talented runner without a good team by his side cannot win. I have the ideal partners to fight for the win: Pascal Ackermann, Alessandro Covi, Ryan Gibbons, Davide Formolo, Brandon McNulty, Diego Ulissi and Jay Vine. My profile is of someone who is discreet, but I have always liked to lead, I have always been very competitive and I have always liked to win. Ever since I was a kid, everything I do is to win, to be the best, to celebrate victory even in the most banal things in life. It was very bad to lose when I was little…
Who suffered the most from this heavy loss?
My nephew. Battleships, chess, checkers… whatever. When he lost, he got angry and immediately accused her of cheating. (laughter). Even today when we talk, some reminder of that comes up. But these days I have no more bad feelings to lose.
No? The wins outweigh the losses…
So it is a bit. I have learned from defeats and how to deal with them. Now the wins are more than the defeats and I already know how to deal with that and I can understand and accept that if I lost it was because the opponent was better than me. As I usually say, we should be prepared for off days.
After debuting in the 2020 Giro with a 4th place and sleeping in the pink jersey for more than two weeks (leading the race), I imagine the Tour of Italy will be his favorite race…
Yes, the Giro is the test and choice, although the Tour is not yet in that equation. Last year didn’t go well due to covid-19. A positive test forced me to give up and pretty much ruined my plans. I was very upset. On a scale of 0 to 10 I got 20… I was in good shape, I felt good, I had no symptoms and to leave the game like that was very sad, very sad. It was very difficult, it took a lot, a lot. I got 4th overall and I was pretty sure I would reach my goal of finishing on the podium. I knew it was only a matter of time and then they pulled the rug out from under me.
“Next year I would like to go to the Tour, change the landscape and ride a different calendar. I am used to racing in August with over 30 degrees and maybe I would do well in the Tour.”
And when does the Tour come into play?
As a person I don’t like to make plans. I am spontaneous and I like to do what I feel like at the time, I would say I am organized in my disorder. As an athlete I am more methodical and I like to make the best possible schedule. Next year I would like to go to the Tour, change the decor and make a different calendar. I am used to walking in the A-dos-Francos area and in Caldas da Rainha in August with more than 30 degrees and maybe I would do well in the Tour [este ano corre-se de 1 a 23 de julho]. Although now I only spend the winter there. The rest of the year, in addition to training camps and competitions, I spend in Andorra, in the Pyrenees, where I live, which allows me to train in the mountains and do altitude training. For me, the beach is just for walking, admiring the sea or having a picnic. I go to the beach dressed more often than to take a bath. I already have sun on the road all year round (laughter). I feel at home in Andorra. I really like the area, it’s the land of cyclists.
Looking back at the beginning, was this where you wanted to be when you thought about becoming a cyclist?
I think I’ve come a lot further than I ever thought I could. I am a happy and successful person. My coaches, my parents, family and friends have always dared to dream for me.
To what extent has the Giro 2020 also helped you dream?
Before the 2020 Giro announced me, I was already part of the world tour and I was already sure that I would make an international career, but it helped me to understand that I was going to be a big stage cyclist, in that respect it was a good surprise even for me. Having João Correia as a businessman helped accelerate internationalization. Now my career goal is no longer a return to Portugal. I can even end my career without riding a Tour of Portugal.
The last 30/40/50 km broadcast on television are a small part of the stages, but always show beautiful landscapes. Can you appreciate it?
No. It’s a nice test, it gives spectacular images, but we just don’t see anything. The concentration is such that we only see the road and hear the trailer. Beautiful landscapes only in the photos and after finishing the race. Depending on the pace, you can even think about life a little bit. Only the cycling community and those who follow us know what a sacrifice it is to cycle 230 km for three weeks. At the height of the Giro’s heaviness, at the end of some stages, you don’t feel like going back the next day, but giving up is not an option. Between the emotion of starting a stage and the rigors of finishing it, I’d rather cross the finish line.
Who is João Almeida who put the Giro on the Portuguese agenda?
A quiet boy, who likes to have fun and enjoys life. Who likes to spend time with his family and girlfriend and wants to relax as much as possible. I like cars and follow some competitions. It is spectacular to let the Portuguese wait for the start of the Giro by me. I am aware that I have responsibilities in this created expectation and the support they send me makes all the sacrifices worth it.
Portuguese cycling is going through difficult days. The extinction of the W52-FC Porto due to doping and the Prova Limpa process, in which cyclists go to court. How do you look at it? Do you feel that the image of cycling has been damaged? Do you feel distrust?
The image of Portuguese cycling and the cyclists who race in Portugal has been tarnished, mine and the Portuguese cyclists have not. It’s sad what happened and I hope we learn from mistakes. I do not feel that the credibility of the Portuguese cyclist at international level has been affected. The recent past may have closed some doors as the eyes of international cycling have been on Portugal, but I think there is more [João] Almeida, [Rúben] warriors, [Ivo, Rui e Nélson] Oliveiras and Rui [Costas] in Portuguese cycling and they just need a chance to show it.
“The bike weighs just over 6 kg. We have a good tire. I spend more time on it than with my family. It never lets me down. If something goes wrong, it’s the cyclist’s fault.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by JOÃ OALMEIDA (@joao.almeida.cyclist)
Source: DN
