After all, António Morgado may make Grand Tour debut in 2025 according to Matxin - "The confidence we have in him is infinite"
Cycling
António Morgado is one of the most interesting riders developing in pro cycling. At UAE Team Emirates the opportunities are very high and the support world-class. Although he initially did not like them, he proved to be a natural at the cobbled classics, and unlike what had been previously reported, he may actually make his Grand Tour debut already in 2025.
"In the meantime, I've started to like the Belgian classics a bit more. I discovered last year that I do have a preference for big and long races such as Gent-Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders," Morgado shared with Sporza.
He also made his debut in Paris-Roubaix, in a season where he focused on the one-day races and managed to take three wins in what was his neo-pro year. "That race suits me too. But this year I had some problems with my bike in 'Hell', hence my 86th place."
Joxean Matxín, team manager, has talked about one of his brightest talents with the Belgian new outlet regarding his next steps: "Morgado is impressively versatile. He can win a time trial, sprint to his advantage and compete with the best on steep hills as he did in the Volta ao Algarve. In 2025, Morgado simply has to perform more consistently and take a new step in his development. He will be able to take that step by riding a Grand Tour for the first time."
This statement does not confirm that the youngster will do one this year, however Sporza have reported that this will be the Vuelta a España. Two weeks ago, Morgado told CyclingUpToDate that this was unlikely in 2025: "I don't think I'm ready yet to do a Grand Tour, I have to prepare better and do one-week races. When I go to a Grand Tour I want to be prepared, I want to be good, I don't want to be dropped everyday".
Matxin believes above all that the key to unlock the 'moustache man's' potential is in his head. "Morgado has to believe in himself even more. The confidence we have in him is infinite. We consider him one of the most important riders of our team with a view to the future," he concluded.
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