Gonçalo Tavares is ambitious for 2024: "If I'm going to be on the World Tour in 2025, I have to get results that stand out"

Gonçalo Tavares is one of the most promising riders in Portuguese cycling. He is 19 years old, rides for Hagens Bermans Axeon and is the current national under-23 cross-country champion. This was, incidentally, the only victory that the cyclist from Proença-a-Nova achieved in a season that he described as "a lot of learning" in an interview with the newspaper O Jogo;

Gonçalo Tavares has set his sights on reaching the World Tour in 2025. As such, he sets the bar high for "a big year" in 2024. "If I'm going to make it to the World Tour in 2025, I have to achieve results that stand out. My goal is to do the Giro under-23. Of course, we're also looking at L'Avenir and the World Championships," Tavares told the sports newspaper

The mission for 2025 is clear and Tavares has already been associated with UAE Team Emirates. "I haven't signed anything. I know that if things go well, I should get a contract, but nothing is guaranteed. I've also done internships with Movistar and INEOS and both Morgado and I wanted to go to altitude." The 19-year-old notes that his coach, Kevin Poulton, is part of the UAE team, which is why he took part in a team training camp.

Tavares points out that the aim of the internships is to study the work of the teams rather than to leave with a signed contract. Even so, he admits that "it's a dream" to be alongside names he saw on television when he was younger. "Sky is my childhood team, I watched Froome beat Quintana and Contador. Now, alongside them, I see the organization and understand why it worked."

When asked which cyclist he most identified with, the 19-year-old mentioned a compatriot. "My style is similar to João Almeida's. I have a steady rhythm, rather than speed changes. Being at the same agency, and talking to him in the national team, I learn from him."

Gonçalo Tavares was António Morgado's teammate from the Bairrada days until this first year at Hagens Bermans Axeon. As such, Tavares' great results seemed to be overshadowed by António Morgado's phenomenal displays. But it's a situation that Tavares doesn't see as unpleasant. "It has positive and negative sides. I'm more in the shadows, but I don't feel as much pressure," he concludes, "If I won everything, I wouldn't have the motivation I have because António is pushing me. The downside is that sometimes I get good results and António does even better. I can compare myself and see where I can go. I'm not like him, who's always on Strava looking at other cyclists' records."