João Almeida - Bota Lume

[bNator]

It was popular with Ullrich and he caused a big boom but his doping case, T-Mobiles doping cases and admittance, and other top riders like Kessler and Klöden caused Germany to lose massive interest. This even caused Klöden to completely disown Germany. I thought interest had increased from Tony Martin, Greipel, and Kittel though.

Heck I’m the US I think it has barely any interest. I have met many 6 people that actually follow cycling with 2 being from Italy and 1 from Spain.

You should come to Slovenia. It’s madhouse here. Some of my friends who never followed cycling bought their first road bikes. People who were previously football fans now discuss cycling tactics. One of our biggest national web news site measured that out of 10 most read articles, 8 were related to cycling. During a year where COVID was all people talked about...

So my Portuguese friends, if you are thinking of buying yourselves a new bike - do it now before they get out of stock thanks to Joao

 

[BlueRoads]

I just looked up the most popular viewer's sports in Germany because I feared to fall foul of my own bias. So, the most popular sports are football (and that must be by far, far, far), athletics, boxing, winter-sports, motor-sports, handball, swimming, tennis, dancing! (I've hardly ever seen that on tv) and figure skating. From my personal experience I would have said football, then clearly biathlon. But we have a thing for those combined sports, not only is biathlon, nordic combination and decathlon popular, also triathlon, and in the last ten years triathletes got sportsmen of the year two times. I don't think that if I said the names Pogacar or Schachmann on the street anyone would know those are cyclists. Maybe the pandemic has changed things a bit, since many people picked up road cycling and mountainbiking, we'll see.
Well, enough of Germans, if it leads to more cycling in the country in general that's nice, although I must say it's not easy to buy bikes in these times here, either...

Almeida has made an amazing jump from an already high level. Will be exciting to see what's next for him.

 

[PhiLiz]

well, one can argue Jose Azevedo could fight for a GT if he was given the chance.

He was given a chance to lead a few teams after ONCE folded. Actually, before he signed with Postal he was briefly under contract with Maia, a Portuguese team in the first division of cycling at the time and they were supposed to be at the 2004 Tour. Then Postal offered him a big contract and off he went.

He never thought he could be a leader and contend for a win so he just took the money (a massive amount at the time, mind you) and helped stronger riders.

Only in 2006, past his prime, did he got a "chance" to lead but it was already too late.

 

[Froome]

You should come to Slovenia. It’s madhouse here. Some of my friends who never followed cycling bought their first road bikes. People who were previously football fans now discuss cycling tactics. One of our biggest national web news site measured that out of 10 most read articles, 8 were related to cycling. During a year where COVID was all people talked about...

So my Portuguese friends, if you are thinking of buying yourselves a new bike - do it now before they get out of stock thanks to Joao

And doncic have the same impact than pogi and roglic in slovenia?

 

[limak_]

and decathlon popular, also triathlon, and in the last ten years triathletes got sportsmen of the year two times.

Had any other nation had Jan Frodeno they would've certainly given him sportsmen of the year as well!

 

[limak_]

it is valid to wonder where he would be without having to assist Remco.

What if Joao Almeida hadn't ridden for Remco Evenepoel?

Would the Portuguese rider be higher up the GC? Let's run the numbers (with a little guesswork).

cyclingtips.com

However this analysis is little bit useles as I have no fcking idea whey they assumed that he would've done as bad as Yates on Giau stage.

 

[groogster]

Just for all of us here to have the big picture of what this young guy is doing with only 2 WT years and untill now:

40 stages in GT (all of them at the giro)

• 6 top 3
• 17 top 10

as far as GC goes:

9 GC untill now

- 8 inside Top 10 (from those 8 top 10 he finished 3 times Top 3)

So from 9 GC he finished 8 inside top 10 and after tomorrow he will have 9 out of 10!

 

[42x16ss]

He's proving the level at last year's Giro wasn't that low after all.

 

[limak_]

He's proving the level at last year's Giro wasn't that low after all.

On the other hand, considering he's only 22, he has probably also made a significant progress in climbing if he was truly focused on that in his training.

 

[groogster]

On the other hand, considering he's only 22, he has probably also made a significant progress in climbing if he was truly focused on that in his training.

He definitely has improved on high mountains climbing, let’s see today how he performs above 2k mountains

 

[ppanther92]

He's proving the level at last year's Giro wasn't that low after all.

He is the only one to replicate it though. So it might be more a case of him gotten even better. Because Hindley, Bilbao, Masnada and Nibali (the other top 10 riders from last year) are not convincing at all.

 

[Pinot's goat]

He is the only one to replicate it though. So it might be more a case of him gotten even better. Because Hindley, Bilbao, Masnada and Nibali (the other top 10 riders from last year) are not convincing at all.

Kelderman has looked quite strong when he doesn't crash and Hindley didn't feel right for the whole Giro but was looking solid at Tour of the Alps. Almeida has stepped it up a in the last week though.

 

[HelloDolly]

Really impressed by Almedia. I didnt give him enough credit before the Giro

I even think he is a better GT prospect than Remco

He is only 22

Also good decision for him to leave DQS

Hope he goes to a team where the whole team is behind him and he has a few good climbing doms

 

[JosefK]

Looks like Almeida is going to be a much better overall GC rider than Evenepoel. [ just kicking the hornets' nest]

 

[42x16ss]

He is the only one to replicate it though. So it might be more a case of him gotten even better. Because Hindley, Bilbao, Masnada and Nibali (the other top 10 riders from last year) are not convincing at all.

Hindley was off all Giro and let's be honest, Nibali is another year older.

This year's level is slightly higher than last year's, certainly, but not so much to make last year look as terrible as many were saying.

 

[arquipelagoGulag]

In a week, two days ahead of Yates. Not bad for a 22-year-old rider who the experts took for granted that he was not fit for the high mountain.

Not to mention the capacity of suffering that is already ridiculously incredible.

 

[roundabout]

Probably first time that i can remember when he may not have perfectly paced himself

But I think he can still get 6th (anything else would depend on others having a bad day)

 

[jaylew]

Heck in the US I think it has barely any interest. I have met maybe 6 people that actually follow cycling with 2 being from Italy and 1 from Spain.

It's weird because most people I'm around these days are fans but I know my perspective is skewed since I'm mostly around a large community of fellow bike racers. I'd definitely say that's where most of the US fans come from these days. I know almost no one who's a fan who isn't a racer or former racer.

 

[CyclistAbi]

A genuine GT contender.

 

[Leinster]

A genuine GT contender.

Definitely, at this stage. The big question is who will he ride for next year, and how much support will he have? Is he the rider that a team like Bora or Trek can throw all their GT resources behind?

 

[ExperienPT]

Yes his fame in PT is growing, especially for the general sports fans, but he is not yet as known as Miguel Oliveira, to me right now he is my favorite athlete

But... I'm seen by my friends as "the weirdo that plays Pro Cycling Manager and does something called Zwift to keep in shape while using something he calls bibs, but are in fact some fckn strange padded shorts with straps"

 

[CyclistAbi]

Definitely, at this stage. The big question is who will he ride for next year, and how much support will he have? Is he the rider that a team like Bora or Trek can throw all their GT resources behind?

If i would be Lefevere i would beg. Beyond that i don't know where Almeida might end up next season.

 

[Bolder]

I’d say his level this year is somewhat better, because he lost time riding for Remco. He’d be third or fourth right now if he had been the sole DQS leader from the start, with a good chance to solidify a podium in the TT. Clearly, his climbing has improved, and perhaps his confidence in his ability.

 

[Skalman]

Yeah, he seems calm and collected under pressure, if he feels its too hot he slows down a notch and then come right back.
I have to second the idea that it would be damn fun to see him do the Tour this year but i guess that wont be happening,

 

[bNator]

And doncic have the same impact than pogi and roglic in slovenia?

Doncic is of course very popular as well, but cycling seems to be just on another level right now - but I could be biased here, of course... Slovenian sportsman of the year award last two years went to Roglic and year before that, it went to Doncic. But that award in itself is based on bias of course and doesn't neccessarily reflect actual popularity...

But since we are in Joao's thread: the way he paces himself is amazing. He already did that on last years Giro. Once he was dropped on Stelvio I expected he would get 10 minutes but he kept fighting till the end. That's a very admirable trait IMO and he took it a step further this year.