"Perhaps the best ever" - João Almeida praises teammate Tadej Pogacar after Velo d'Or victory
Cycling
It was cycling's worst-kept secret and this Friday, unsurprisingly, Tadej Pogacar was once again in the spotlight at the Velo d'Or gala by taking his third title - and second consecutive. This came at the end of an historic season where he's won almost every race he set out to, including many of the season's key events.
The UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader ended an absolutely dominant season: he won the Tour de France for the fourth time; became European and World champion; won Strade Bianche, Tour of Flanders, Liége-Bastogne-Liège, Il Lombardia... The list goes on and on. There was never truly any doubt he would take the award.
His all-round dominance, capable of deciding both grand tours and classics, also earned him the 'Eddy Merckx Trophy', reserved for the cyclist who stands out the most in one-day races. Among the women, the equivalent went to Dutchwoman Lorena Wiebes. In the team section, UAE Team Emirates - XRG was named the best team of the year after setting a new record for victories during the season.
João Almeida was past of this success, having won the Itzulia Basque Country, Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse throughout 2025, as well as finishing second in key stage-races such as the Vuelta a España, Volta ao Algarve and Volta a Comunitat Valenciana. He contributed in UCI points, victories and overall prestige throughout the year - contesting for the Vuelta win against none other than Jonas Vingegaard as well.
João Almeida's Tour de France was short-lived, but he still aided Tadej Pogacar to victory on stage 4 into Rouen. @Sirotti
Pogacar's absence at the event in Paris led João Almeida to take to the stage to represent the team. The Portuguese rider, who was also among the finalists for the Velo d'Or, highlighted the spirit that reigns in the team:
"We're a family, it's an honor to be part of this team. We always try to do our best. I'm going to keep working for more. I want to win more races, despite the increasingly high level. That's my goal," he said.
At the end, speaking to Record, he described the moment as special: "It was a good experience to be here for the first time. I was nominated, it was good to be here for these important cycling awards," he said, before commenting on the inevitable protagonist of the evening: His teammate Pogacar.
"Tadej is exemplary, perhaps the best ever and the clear winner of these awards. He's had an incredible season, yet another, and has won almost everything," he said. "It's complicated to win both trophies, but he's good on any terrain".
"The Tour de France carries a lot of weight in the Velo d'Or vote, and in the Eddy Merckx Trophy it's the classics, but he's also won monuments, so it ends up being normal". Almeida recently signed a contract extension with the Emirati team, and as has been the case over the past two seasons, he is expected to play a key support role for the rainbow jersey at the 2026 Tour de France.
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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.
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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)...
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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