“It was a super chaotic day” – Joao Almeida ready to fight back on Tour de Suisse stage 2

After a dramatic opening stage of the Tour de Suisse that turned the race on its head, Joao Almeida, one of the pre-race favourites, spoke to Cycling Pro Net about how things unravelled, and where that leaves his chances in the general classification.

“It was a super chaotic day,” he admitted. “Jan crashed just before the climb, which wasn’t ideal. Then it was two or three guys going off the front at a time, and eventually they formed a big group.”

With the break establishing a sizeable lead, the chase proved ineffective. “At the end of the day I was alone at the top of the climb, so I couldn’t respond to every move,” he said. “It was a big loss for us yesterday, but it is what it is. We went full gas after, us and a few other teams, but for some reason we couldn’t bring the gap down.”

On paper, the rider was the clear favourite heading into the race, but he acknowledged that those expectations now feel distant. “Of course it’s a big gap. I think it’s very, very hard to take that time back,” he admitted. “Statistics don’t win races, and yesterday is the proof of it. A day like that changes everything.”

Looking ahead to the GC picture, he was realistic. “We’ll try our best for sure, but it’s not looking good to win the race.”

Asked who he sees as the main threats among the group that gained time, he listed several names. “There are many guys. Romain himself, Kevin Vauquelin… A corner is at least two minutes up, and there are others at three minutes too. So yeah, it’s not ideal.”

Turning to the stage ahead, he predicted a fast day due to tailwinds but wasn’t convinced the breakaway would succeed. “Personally, I think the break maybe doesn’t arrive, but maybe it does,” he said. “The sprinters don’t have many chances in this race, so they’ll really want today.”