“For sure the recovery is not ideal” – But Joao Almeida plans to attack Tour de Suisse queen stage

After winning Stage 4 of the Tour de Suisse, João Almeida lined up for the queen stage on Thursday with cautious optimism, but also clear signs of fatigue after a huge solo effort yesterday.

Speaking to Cycling Pro Net before the start, the Portuguese climber admitted the effort had taken its toll. “Oh for sure, I’m quite tired,” he said. “Especially sleeping in altitude this night, I think all the teams sleep in altitude, so for sure the recovery is not ideal. But yeah, it is what it is.”

Almeida, who has surged into the top 10 and now sits close behind Romain Grégoire and Kevin Vauquelin on the general classification, knows what’s at stake. “It’s a queen stage today. It’s the best opportunity to take back time on Beno especially, but also Kevin Vlan,” he explained. “Yeah, if you have good legs, I think for sure it’s the best opportunity. But it’s hard for everyone.”

Almeida had lost significant time on stage 1, but now appears to have a very solid chance of yet another stage race win. Asked how he might approach the brutal double ascent that defines today’s route, Almeida didn’t hesitate. “To be honest, I would save my legs only for the last climb,” he said.