"I did everything I could. I wanted to win, but it is what it is" - Ivo Oliveira narrowly misses out on prologue win at Tour de Romandie

Today marked the start of the first major race after the spring classics. For UAE Team Emirates, the best finisher in the prologue of the Tour de Romandie proved to be Portuguese star, Ivo Oliveira.

With Maikel Zijlaard of the Tudor Pro Cycling Team setting the time to beat of 2:55, Oliveira came down the ramp and gritted his teeth, eventually entering the last hundred metres feeling that beating the Swiss rider's time would be possible, only to fall short by three seconds 2:58, eventually good enough for 5th position in the standings.

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After finishing his effort Oliveira reflected in conversation with Eurosport about his performance. "I'm happy, I gave it everything I had. In the end it is what it is. I trained hard for this, but in the end we had to make a choice. I train a lot on the TT bike, so I chose the TT bike for its comfort. I did everything I could. I wanted to win, but it is what it is."

Oliveira was one of the few cyclists to make the effort on a time trial bike, unlike almost all the rest of his rivals "I did the reconnaissance on the normal bike and with the TT bike. I felt more comfortable on the TT bike. You don't gain or lose much by choosing the bike, it depends on what's most comfortable. I chose this one and I don't regret it." concluded the Portuguese.

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4th best provisional time at the finish for @IvOliveira96 . #TDR2024 #WeAreUAE

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