"I don't think I could have done much better" - João Almeida left disappointed after underwhelming time-trial

João Almeida said before the World Time Trial that he was going to use it to have competition rhythm for his main objective, the road race that takes place next Sunday. With the great specialists of the discipline at another level, the UAE rider was far behind the main favourites for the day.

"I managed my effort well. I rode well on the climbs. I left it all on the road and came to the finish completely exhausted," the Portuguese, who finished an absent 24th on the day, said in a post-race interview. "So I don't think I could have done much better. We still have a week to go, during which I'm going to do some good training to stay in shape and prepare for the road race which will be very long and hard," This comes as his return after abandoning the Vuelta a España with Covid-19.

Nelson Oliveira, the other Portuguese rider in action in the race, finished 15th. A better position but still one that in no way fulfilled the ambitions of the Portuguese team, who have achieved much better in the past. "The Movistar Team rider, fatigued after the Vuelta a España, could not add another top 10 in the World Championship to his list of achievements:

"I had a regular time trial. I tried to manage it well at all times, but my rivals were faster," the 35-year old veteran added. "I probably didn't recover one hundred percent from the Vuelta. What determined the result in favor of the stronger riders was the course. The climb didn't make as much of a difference as I expected, but I think I did a good time trial, despite the result". The duo will be key for the team's ambitions next Sunday in the road race, but the small Western European nation will have to race smart if they want to feature in the fight for the medals.