More from @JooAlmeida98 : “When Remco and Roglic went I decided to do my own pace and @solermarc93 could go with them. I tried to go for the stage but there were two stronger guys today.” #WeAreUAE
"I tried to win the stage, but there were two stronger guys" - João Almeida at his best but just short of victory in Catalunya
CyclingSaturday, 25 March 2023 at 08:30
The Volta a Catalunya saw it's queen stage yesterday at Lo Port where João Almeida showed his best legs. He battled for victory alongside Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic, but in the final meters he didn't have the legs to match the duo.
"It was a good day, quite easy until the final climb. The team did a perfect job in terms of positioning and I felt good," Almeida said in a post-race interview. Several teams pushed the pace hard in the opening kilometers of the final 8.6-kilometer climb, and halfway up it Remco Evenepoel made his move.
"When Remco and Roglic left, I decided to put myself at my own pace and Marc [Soler] could accompany them. I tried to win the stage, but there were two stronger guys today," explained. Almeida, in his traditional style, paced himself and dropped everyone in the group where he was, and those he caught up with. He eventually linked up with the front trio, where Marc Soler then kept the pace high.
Almeida himself gave it a go in the final kilometer but was unable to drop the duo - who then went on to sprint to the line. The Portuguese rider finished third, but has equally ridden into a third place in the overall classification. The trio are expected to be the main favourites for the Giro d'Italia later this May, and Almeida sets off for stage 6 1:02 minutes behind Roglic in the overall classification.
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