Portuguese supertalent António Morgado set to join Hagens Bermans Axeon

Portugal has over the last few years seen an unique talent grow from Caldas da Rainha in João Almeida, however from the very same city is a rider that has been haunting the junior ranks and is said to be on his way to have similar impact: António Morgado.

At 18 years of age, Morgado has won nothing less than 21 wins this year, alongside 15 other podium places when combining stage results and overall classifications. This includes wins in the majority of his category's national cups, stage-races within Portugal, several at international level and the national championships. He's one of the most successful riders currently on the road. “Maybe work. My life is dedicated to this," is how he justifies his success. "My work is done by my coach, from GetReady, who helps me with everything. I have been able to evolve a lot thanks to this work and I hope to evolve more," he said in an interview with Cycling & Thoughts.

He's just off another winning weekend with a double win in the national championships, with his teammates from Bairrada Cycling Team completing the podium - as has happened occasionally throughout the year. “It is always a pride to represent Portugal with this flag, but I want more this year," he stated.

"I've wanted the Worlds and the Europeans for two years now. This year, the Europeans were a failure, because I got Covid, and now all I can think about is the World championships. That's where I want to shine," Morgado claimed. All the signs point towards him being a main contender to take the title in Wollongong, and many have him under eye already.

He recently joined a training camp for Hagens Bermans Axeon, as he detailed: “It was very good. It is a very professional team, which has launched many athletes and I hope to be one more".

Asked if he was set to join the team on a two-year deal, an information that has been recently rumoured, he replied: "Maybe, but I cannot confirm". Alongside his teammate Gonçalo Tavares both are likely to move out of the Portuguese development ranks into the American team, as did several other riders in the past few years with the same agency that currently represents him - CORSO sports.