"We can only get better" - João Almeida content with start but hoping for improvement in the coming stages at the Giro d'Italia
Cycling
After Remco Evenepoel's abandonment due to covid, João Almeida now lies fourth overall in the general classification at the Giro d'Italia, just 17 seconds off the podium. With the big mountains still to come, the Portuguese is hoping to make his move.
"Overall I think it was pretty good, I lost a little bit of time on the corners which was an issue, and especially in the first part I wasn't so confident," Almeida told Cycling News following the conclusion of the stage 9 time-trial where the UAE Team Emirates leader finished in 9th position. "But I didn't lose so much time to the other guys. Of course, I thought I could be up there, but it's still a long Giro and I am in a good position."
As mentioned, the stage winner of stage 9, Remco Evenepoel has now been sadly forced to abandon the Giro d'Italia after testing positive for covid. With the Soudal - Quick-Step man now removed from the general classification, INEOS Grenadiers's Geraint Thomas holds the Maglia Rosa by just 2 seconds from Primoz Roglic and 5 seconds ahead of teammate Tao Geoghegan Hart. Almeida meanwhile is 22 seconds behind the Welshman and just 17 seconds of a podium.
"Overall that's pretty good and we can only get better," says Almeida. The rest day though may have come at the wrong time for him as he admits. "Actually, I don't feel like I need one but they're always welcome."
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- Moved ON.. Pogi is just so so versatile and also be the best climber in the world as well. Even you don't like or not.
James2631829-12-2024 - as i’ve said pretty clearly, I DON’T LIKE LANCE. but those casual fans who only know about lance’s story of cheating and nothing else only knew about cycling at ALL because of lance and his story of triumph. so to lose those “fans” to their disillusionment is, to me, a bit of a wash. i guess i care about the opinions of marginal fans who know one name about as much as passionate, informed football fans care about the options of americans who call it soccer and only know the name Pele. which is to say, not at all. i’d also say that if lance’s doping is the ONLY THING that has caused actual cycling fans to doubt how clean riders are, then THEY haven’t been paying much attention to the history of their own sport. just LOOK at the doping cases spanning 60-70 years in this sport, including most of the famous and beloved heroes from the 1950s on. cycling has been rife with it for ages. but i don’t have particularly bad feelings about jacques anquetil, felice gimondi, tom simpson, eddy merckx, laurent fignon, sean kelly, pedro delgado, stephen roche, and on and on and on up to contador and company. i genuinely dislike lance, though.OCexile29-12-2024
- The other thing to note is that The Move is a very tedious podcast. Lance and his doping buddies seem barely to prepare for the topics they discuss. Instead they just dial in and drone on as if just being Lance is enough. Lanterne Rouge shows how to do it. Two young guys who know far more about the sport and really make an effort.Renz29-12-2024
- It goes without saying that all the readers on this website are keen cycling fans and cyclists. We may have differing opinions on Lance Armstrong, but that is coloured by our knowledge of cycling history. However, for all the non-cycling public, all they know is Lance Armstrong and his story of cheating. The vast majority of the world do not even remember Eddy Merckyx and many don't know who Pogacar and Vingegaard are. Therefore, it is the truth that Lance Armstrong has been very damaging for our beloved sport of cycling. It even makes us cycling fans question the current generation of cyclists, which is so sad that we don't get to truly enjoy the sport any more because there will always be some doubts in the back of our minds.Pogboom29-12-2024
- Yes it is, 7.6% average, about 13% max.awp28-12-2024
- Puy de Dome was pretty steepvappaxbipmv28-12-2024
- I would pick billionaires next time.
ChoppyWarburton28-12-2024 - It is so awesome that Voit called attention to Voss' accomplishments. It is simply the fact of her remarkable ability that puts her in the class of Merckx
TRjens28-12-2024 - On the steeper stuff Jonas is a bit more efficient. He's dropped Tadej going back to the 2021 Tour on one occasion.awp28-12-2024
- i don’t care when he started doping. i really don’t even care THAT he started doping. and i certainly don’t care that he lied about doping. the history of cycling is chock-full of dopers, from charly gaul to merckx to kelly to contador and blah blah blah. and they ALL lied about it. but i really DO CARE that he treated everyone like AT BEST like expendable cogs in his winning machine, and at WORST like mortal enemies to be DESTROYED. it’s all that business that makes me dislike him. and i may be a suspicious and untrusting soul, but i really don’t trust that he’s changed in that way. that said, I’M certainly no one to give advice about moral virtue or from whom to seek it.OCexile28-12-2024