Stage 7 will be an important day at the Giro d'Italia. The peloton takes on the first summit finish on what is a very long ascent to Gran Sasso d'Italia. Alberto Contador has talked about someone he believes will be a great contender for the pink jersey: João Almeida.
“For me, Almeida is one of the clear candidates to finish on the podium. I would put Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel a bit ahead, because they have had a tremendous year, but, for me, Almeida is one of the clear candidates to get, at least, on the podium of this Giro d'Italia," Contador told Eurosport ahead of stage 7. “He is a regular rider who goes from strength to strength, and we are talking about very long climbs. He is perhaps the rider who is closest to Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic.”
The Portuguese sits fourth in the overall classification into the difficult stage, 32 seconds back on Remco Evenepoel - and the first of the big favourites behind the World Champion. In past years he's shown the quality and consistency required to win a Grand Tour, and he came in with a lot of ambition to this Corsa Rosa and a preparation which has seen him healthy.
“Almeida has been solid without being spectacular but that is what you want at this stage in the race, we are very early days. Tomorrow is the first big test. Although it’s 40km uphill to the finish, the part that really counts for the contenders is the last 6.5km," Robbie McEwen argued. Having avoided crashes and time losses so far, the UAE Team Emirates rider settles as the leader of UAE as Jay Vine has lost time and Brandon McNulty is focusing on stage wins.
The GC will be more organized this afternoon and riders will understand better what their ambitions should be after arriving at Campo Imperatore, the high altitude, tough gradients in the final and overall tough day will put the riders to the test after a very stressful first week.
"That is proper climbing and they go above 2000m altitude where it will start really burning. This is where the GC contenders will really start to make their mark. Almeida will just stay at a steady state and ride himself in and out of the picture," McEwen concluded.
Read also
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- So, you never really compared Paul Seixas with his main rival Isaac Del Toro why jump to Pogačar? They've (Paul & Isaac) raced together here and there, and they've both shared in wins and losses, I think they should be compared to each other, even with Vingegaard and Remco first before even touching Pogačar. From your writing it's like he's better than Vingegaard, Remco and Del Toro already that his main target is now Pogačar 🤔Sadick11-11-2026
- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.Davide11-11-2026
- Yeah his ride at World's was unreal. Over 6 W/kg for over an hour and a half...he single handedly destroyed the break.DAS11-11-2026
- Exactly, you hit the nail on te head.... Ayuso sucks. 3 to 4 years ago some cycling experts were comparing Ayuso as the "new Pogi"... but he's not even close to him... either physically or mentally. Capish you naive schoolboy?PogiSloFans11-11-2026
- I think they expected more from riders like Carlos Rodriguez, Vauquelin and Magnus Sheffield. Imo they should have focused on signing Primoz Roglic, at least they´d probably have had a guaranteed podium GT finisher (he still might sign for them). Now they have 2nd or third tier riders in the classics (Ben Turner, Arensman, Beloki and hopefully Onley can step up again even more). Sheffield, August, Bernal, Tarling and Geoghan Hart did not live up to the star expectations eventually..Jonatan11-11-2026
- Fuuuuuuck, Ciccone and Pidcock on the same team, attacking like crazy and taking it to the other competitors? Yes, please.Occam11-11-2026
- Oh Cameron, this win has been a long time coming! We could not be more proud. All I’ll say is: roll on Glasgow 🔥anonymouscyclist11-11-2026
- Ayuso is another guy riding for GC but won't be able to consistently do it. Almost all of these guys, Skjelmose included, would be better off targeting shorter stage races or one-day races rather than shooting for a GT top-five.Occam11-11-2026
- Awesome. Because you didn't like him, he sucks. Good Lord, you're tendentious. And you write like a 15 yo locked in his room after school.Occam11-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment