Joao almeida is launched towards the Giro d'Italia. The Portuguese talent is now a regular at the Giro d'Italia and perhaps for this reason too the Italian public always looks at him with affection.
And precisely because it is observed with a technical eye as well, It is immediately clear that there are some differences between the Joao of today and the one from the famous “Autumn Tour” of 2020.
Almeida finisseur
The athlete of UAE Emirates he seems to be increasingly transforming himself into a stage racer. Not that it wasn't already, but some of its technical features are changing.
In his Quick Step days, Almeida was more of a sprinter. Almost a finisher. Let's just think about that 2020 Giro: third in Tortoreto behind Sagan. He sprinted with Ulissi after a hilly stage. He left the other top riders behind on the climb to San Daniele del Friuli.
Now, however, he seems to be much more of a rouleur. Which is also his strength. Joao never reacts to a sprint. He sips and "softens" every slight change in pace, making consistency his weapon on climbs. A weapon he usually uses to defend himself, however. He's very good against the clock and, once, even in nervous finishes.
«When he came to us – he recalls David Bramati, his former sports director at Quick Step – He came from Axel Merckx's team and was a bit of a newcomer. We found this strong rider. But neither he nor we could have known that he was a stage racer and already so strong.
«We sensed his skills as a sprinter and we also worked on them, if we want, But more than anything, I think it was his talents. There wasn't a specific job behind it. Also because, I repeat, everything was still to be discovered."
Almeida climber
In some ways Bramati brings us back to a rider who was fast in his own right, with a touch of his youth also being a factor. It is known that young riders are more explosive than older ones.
Perhaps, having evaluated his potential for the Grand Tours and placing a lot of trust in him, the UAE Emirates He's having Almeida work toward the big climbs and stage races, preferring to improve his endurance skills at the expense of top speed. Perhaps at Quick Step, a team historically focused on one-day races, brilliance was the priority.
«You should talk to his coach at the time (Koen Pelgrim, ed.) – continues Bramati – But even with us, he paid great attention to the climbs and the Grand Tours. In the end, he lost the Giro by dropping out just 6 kilometers from the summit of a climb like the Stelvio. And he was also strong in Sestriere. Last year he was third before leaving the Giro d'Italia due to Covid, and then he was fifth in the Vuelta. And he also finished third in the last Catalunya. He was strong then, he's strong today."
Valuable discounts
In this technical analysis, especially thinking about the two big names that will be found At the Giro d'Italia, perhaps his talent as a finisher could come in handy to gain a few seconds here and there, between small gaps, bonus points... and a good dose of confidence. Perhaps certain efforts in his legs come at a lower price.
But Brama does not totally agree on this point: «That day in San Daniele, in hindsight, that shot was not the best thing. I am efforts that still remain in the legs, especially if the next day there is a long stage that involves a lot of climbingBut at the time we had a young rider, a rider to discover.
«But I can't judge based on current events. Almeida hasn't been with us for two years and I don't know in UAE how it works. Certainly, and I repeat, he is a very strong athlete, even today that he is on another team."
Bramati's words are true, at Catalunya Almeida did indeed arrive third, but with a good gap (2'11”) from evenepoel e RoglicBoth are aces both against the clock and uphill, and there's little room to attack them... and not just for Almeida. And those second courses as a finisher could constitute a good “treasure trove”.
