João Almeida ahead of first Giro summit finish: "It is not the most difficult climb of the Giro but it will be a long day with a finish at altitude"
Cycling
João Almeida has started the rainy 7th stage of the Giro d'Italia in fourth place one minute exactly back on Andreas Leknessund, and 32 seconds back on Remco Evenepoel. He is aware of the difficulty and importance that today's finale may have in the overall classification.
"It will be a real test for the riders in the general classification. It is quite a long climb until the finish," the Portuguese said. "It is not the most difficult climb of the Giro but it will be a long day with a finish at altitude. We'll see how the legs are after the accident the other day, but hopefully everything will be fine."
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The UAE Team Emirates rider has, like many, hit the deck over the last few treacherous days at the Giro but it has not been meaningful, and he's avoided any time losses. His teammates Jay Vine and Brandon McNulty have lost a bit of time and dropped out of GC contention respectively, further fueling his chances of becoming a sole leader in the fight for the pink jersey.
Although it would be unreasonable to think he could get there this afternoon as it stands he's ahead of all big GC contenders expect for Evenepoel, who himself crashed twice two days ago. he sits in a favourable position but without pressure to attack the race. As did both the World champion and Primoz Roglic however Almeida states today is a day to see how the legs are and that may hint at some conservative behavior.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.
Davide11-11-2026 - Yeah his ride at World's was unreal. Over 6 W/kg for over an hour and a half...he single handedly destroyed the break.DAS11-11-2026
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- Awesome. Because you didn't like him, he sucks. Good Lord, you're tendentious. And you write like a 15 yo locked in his room after school.Occam11-11-2026
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