João Almeida expects brutal day at Paris-Nice today: "For sure BORA and Quick-Step want to make some time back"

UAE Team Emirates have won the team time-trial at Paris-Nice and consolidated themselves in the race lead with four contenders. They have to defend themselves against Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic, but also try to make use of their numbers as they are not the riders to beat.

"It's been a really good race, we did a great team effort yesterday so we're very satisfied with it. First test of the season, here I am to see where I am," João Almeida said this morning to CyclingPro.net. He was one of the four riders to finish in front yesterday. "It's a good thing to have, we're a really strong team. It's my first race I don't really know what to expected so it's good to have my teammates in good shape and do a really good result as well."

The Portuguese rider is making his season debut today after illness in February, but teammate and yellow jersey Brandon McNulty said Almeida was the leader last afternoon. The American also admit recently that he sometimes struggles with pressure and that was likely an attempt to shrug off pressure. From within UAE there are no other calls for sole leadership from any rider, as all four - including also Jay Vine and Finn Fisher-Black - have the legs to contest for a strong result today and take over the race lead.

However they have to race against other rivals, other teams that will certainly make the race hard. "For sure BORA and Quick-Step want to make some time back so I expect a hard race, there are other teams as well so it will be a hectic day," he says. Remco Evenepoel only sits back 18 seconds on the quartet, well within reach of yellow in today's summit finish at Mont Brouilly.

The Portuguese rider is keeping the team's tactics in private, but it would not be a surprise to see an early move from one of the riders so as to try and take advantage of possible numerical superiority. "We don't know, we'll see in the end. It's a hard finish, short and quite steep, but the whole day is gonna be hard so I think we're gonna arrive satisfied at the finish line," he concluded.