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.
Read also
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Plus MVDP now having basically done 4 seasons in 2 years might warrant a slightly longer rest than usual, although even then his will STILL be shorter than 98% of all other pro cyclists in any field.Mistermaumau15-11-2024
- Yes, I’d say they’ve done their job in CX.Mistermaumau15-11-2024
- C’mon, they need this kind of gooey content in winter to stop readers switching off. Medias sowing seeds to provoke discussion and rumours that lead to a self-defined legitimacy to introduce undesired questions during rider interviews in order to boast delivery of “original” contentMistermaumau15-11-2024
- By definition an analogy is always GERMANE, tganjs for pointing out the obvious and revealing you don’t understand its purpose.Mistermaumau15-11-2024
- The reason you don’t see these type of websites often and certainly not in cycling might be that they die before you find them. But tell us about it when you’re done I’ll visit to check it out.Mistermaumau15-11-2024
- Someone should do this: create a cycling news site that is free with no ads. Watch the subscriptions like up. Then carefully and slowly introduce ads. I might do it myself. Sites like CUTD are poorly conceived and consequently a mess. Readers will leave as soon as there is a better alternative.Renz15-11-2024
- Wout still recovering from injuries? Might be more of a factor than any attempted middle finger to the UCI?mobk15-11-2024
- We ll talk about all of this in 10 years - but for now lets stop the bullshitChrisBe14-11-2024
- This may very well be is the least germaine comment I've ever read online.verve82514-11-2024
- Yes! Clear up these gray areas before lives are lost or damaged!velodan14-11-2024