Joxean Fernández Matxín, UAE Team Emirates team captain, has spoken about João Almeida's chances of winning the Giro d'Italia. In an interview with the AS newspaper, he obviously describes his team's race so far as positive.
"The assessment is good, because in just over two weeks, three victories, we are still immersed in the fight for the maglia rosa and expectations are still intact for the overall," he confidently stated.
He speaks highly of Almeida and trusts him to fight for the maglia rosa between now and Sunday in Rome and that Geraint Thomas and Primoz Roglic will be his rivals:
"The team believes in João, in the dream of pink. The victory is the compensation for the faith in him and in a strong group like ours. It's very clear that Thomas and Roglic are candidates to fight for the podium at this moment".
He was asked if the Portuguese will continue to attack in the race and responded by talking about the danger that INEOS has with 2 men placed in the top 10 overall accompanying Thomas:
"We have to study the evolution that Thomas may have, analyze the system they use, which is the pull plane, get to pull and try to make 400 or 450 watts for a long time to go eliminating rivals. I think that is partly to Almeida's advantage. If I were Ineos, I would use Arensman and De Plus, who are still in the top-10 and are riders who, even though Thomas is the leader, tactically, can dismantle the rest of the teams."
He believes that the last two stages, the Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the time trial climb, will be the ones that define the final overall for the 2023 Giro d'Italia:
"There are tactical stages like Val di Zoldo, where you can make an important turnaround, but what is clear is that Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the time trial climb are decisive. They are the two stages above the rest, where everyone will be waiting for absolutely everything to be decided there. At the moment, I think we've seen two races, a first half with Remco and a second half of the race without Remco".
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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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