João Almeida - Bota Lume

[carolina]

The João Almeida is the next Joaquim Agostinho thread

Problem solved

 

[groogster]

The João Almeida is the next Joaquim Agostinho thread

Problem solved

It will have my vote for sure

 

[noob]

"Almeida is the new Mowgli - setting fire and leaving the wolfpack".

Wonder if i will ever get that image out of my head when seeing him. Big brown puppy-ish eyes and then you knock him down and he's like I'm not hurt. I'm alright. I'm tougher than some people think"

(And now I have to go watch that cartoon lookalike thread again )
Edit: However I must admit that theresemblance of Mowgli and Bernal might be even stronger

 

[noob]

Hoping there's some fans or Portuguese here that could explain their tactics today. Felt like they didn't work together apart from the first part of the race?

 

[carolina]

They missed the first break, so Nelson started pulling the peloton. He did a great job there. Rafael Reis didn't help because he's not that good on such hard climbs, he stayed protected in order to work when they got to the circuit. He still didn't manage to stay with the peloton.

Rui Oliveira did a Quintana style attack, didn't really commit to it, waste of legs.
Nelson went in the first break that formed when they entered the circuit. Again doing great.

When Madouas and Pinot did the aggressive pull that formed the winning group only Ruben Guerreiro, Rui Costa, João Almeida and Nelson where in the peloton. Nelson did a lot before this, so it's normal that he could not follow, but Ruben, Rui and João nowhere to be found. They missed the most important move of the race. João still tried to follow, but it was impossible without some proper help from others.

Nelson was great and did what was asked of him. Rafael is in a CT team, so I didn't expect much of him. All the others were kind of disappointing.

It's a shame. This was the best team we had in years and we have no chance for the WC road-race. I really expected more.

 

[groogster]

They missed the first break, so Nelson started pulling the peloton. He did a great job there. Rafael Reis didn't help because he's not that good on such hard climbs, he stayed protected in order to work when they got to the circuit. He still didn't manage to stay with the peloton.

Rui Oliveira did a Quintana style attack, didn't really commit to it, waste of legs.
Nelson went in the first break that formed when they entered the circuit. Again doing great.

When Madouas and Pinot did the aggressive pull that formed the winning group only Ruben Guerreiro, Rui Costa, João Almeida and Nelson where in the peloton. Nelson did a lot before this, so it's normal that he could not follow, but Ruben, Rui and João nowhere to be found. They missed the most important move of the race. João still tried to follow, but it was impossible without some proper help from others.

Nelson was great and did what was asked of him. Rafael is in a CT team, so I didn't expect much of him. All the others were kind of disappointing.

It's a shame. This was the best team we had in years and we have no chance for the WC road-race. I really expected more.

Very true, Nelson had to do all the pursuing work outside the circuit because the Portuguese NT failed to put a rider on the break (first tactical mistake) and then they failed to be well positioned when the French do that very aggressive pulling that ended up with the Evenepoel Pogacar and Colbrelli going loose for the wining break.

As a side note and concerning Almeida he is turning into a very strong rider but he still lacks that tactical asset of being well positioned at those important moments of the race so he can respond when he needs to. IMO he really needs to improve that ASAP if he wants to start winning races or at least being able to do so until the end.

 

[noob]

Very true, Nelson had to do all the pursuing work outside the circuit because the Portuguese NT failed to put a rider on the break (first tactical mistake) and then they failed to be well positioned when the French do that very aggressive pulling that ended up with the Evenepoel Pogacar and Colbrelli going loose for the wining break.

As a side note and concerning Almeida he is turning into a very strong rider but he still lacks that tactical asset of being well positioned at those important moments of the race so he can respond when he needs to. IMO he really needs to improve that ASAP if he wants to start winning races or at least being able to do so until the end.

@carolina Thank you for explaining! I was so bummed by it all ;/

@groogster This! Almeida positioning! I've seen it since TdP. There he won from an attack far back in the peleton and I've been wondering if he's trying to do that again.

both: He's definitely as strong as some of the other top 10 guys was yesterday and I almost wonder if he could have made it had he known he was 20 seconds down. He did close a lot of that gap when attacking the others and he did it all himself. The others obviously was there to slow him down). He looked kinda helpless tbh. (It just looked like he gave up and then instead he slowed down to stretch. But nothing in his face looked like he usually does when he rides it out. It all looked psychological to me. I think he's the kind of rider that needs a lot of support, not just physically but emtionally. Not suggesting he didn't get that from his team, he probably did. But it was the same in Tour of Germany: he pulled and the rider on his wheel didn't and then he just gave up. Idn if it's just his pacing himself really well. (I was just confused no tounge out of his mouth and no pain face )


We'll see how he does in Luxemburg.

 

[BlueRoads]

@carolina Thank you for explaining! I was so bummed by it all ;/

@groogster This! Almeida positioning! I've seen it since TdP. There he won from an attack far back in the peleton and I've been wondering if he's trying to do that again.

both: He's definitely as strong as some of the other top 10 guys was yesterday and I almost wonder if he could have made it had he known he was 20 seconds down. He did close a lot of that gap when attacking the others and he did it all himself. The others obviously was there to slow him down). He looked kinda helpless tbh. (It just looked like he gave up and then instead he slowed down to stretch. But nothing in his face looked like he usually does when he rides it out. It all looked psychological to me. I think he's the kind of rider that needs a lot of support, not just physically but emtionally. Not suggesting he didn't get that from his team, he probably did. But it was the same in Tour of Germany: he pulled and the rider on his wheel didn't and then he just gave up. Idn if it's just his pacing himself really well. (I was just confused no tounge out of his mouth and no pain face )


We'll see how he does in Luxemburg.

There was something about Geschke in German cycling media, he said he simply missed the split (too). I don't remember the situation exactly, but I wonder why they all missed the split, if it was really just a bad tactical decision/ positioning or not also strength after all, because really, you have Colbrelli and Evenepoel in front - who do you follow if not those two? Colbrelli was the forum's favourite before the race, surely the riders must have seen him similar.
Afterwards there was some incredible strength upfront, with Evenepoel, Colbrelli and an in top form Cosnefroy, the watts numbers also seem very high and I can imagine it was very hard to get there again.
Almeida races Lombardia, right? He's probably not at his autumn peak yet.

 

[groogster]

@carolina Thank you for explaining! I was so bummed by it all ;/

@groogster This! Almeida positioning! I've seen it since TdP. There he won from an attack far back in the peleton and I've been wondering if he's trying to do that again.

both: He's definitely as strong as some of the other top 10 guys was yesterday and I almost wonder if he could have made it had he known he was 20 seconds down. He did close a lot of that gap when attacking the others and he did it all himself. The others obviously was there to slow him down). He looked kinda helpless tbh. (It just looked like he gave up and then instead he slowed down to stretch. But nothing in his face looked like he usually does when he rides it out. It all looked psychological to me. I think he's the kind of rider that needs a lot of support, not just physically but emtionally. Not suggesting he didn't get that from his team, he probably did. But it was the same in Tour of Germany: he pulled and the rider on his wheel didn't and then he just gave up. Idn if it's just his pacing himself really well. (I was just confused no tounge out of his mouth and no pain face )


We'll see how he does in Luxemburg.

IMO and as far as Almeida mindset he has that, it seems to me that he doesn’t lack the confidence to fight and to believe in his strengths…
It’s true that yesterday he was able to pursuit all by himself the break for at least 1 lap without loosing time but at the end he had to quit because no one was helping him, it would be strange if someone helped him, because all of them had teammates on the break. It was simply not possible to close the gap to the break all alone, at one point I thought that Mollema would work with him but instead what happened was a discussion between the Dutch and the Belgium.
it was always going to be a pointless waste of energy at that point… the harm was done beyond repair when he was very bad positioned inside of the pack by the time the pull was made. Almeida had to be at all times on the wheel of Evenepoel or Pogacar because it was clear that they were going to attack sooner or later.

 

[groogster]

There was something about Geschke in German cycling media, he said he simply missed the split (too). I don't remember the situation exactly, but I wonder why they all missed the split, if it was really just a bad tactical decision/ positioning or not also strength after all, because really, you have Colbrelli and Evenepoel in front - who do you follow if not those two? Colbrelli was the forum's favourite before the race, surely the riders must have seen him similar.
Afterwards there was some incredible strength upfront, with Evenepoel, Colbrelli and an in top form Cosnefroy, the watts numbers also seem very high and I can imagine it was very hard to get there again.
Almeida races Lombardia, right? He's probably not at his autumn peak yet.

he will race Lombardia yes so maybe not at his peak atm.
IMO yesterday he had the legs to go with the break, it seems he was riding fairly easy, after all he alone was able to at one point shorten the gap by a few seconds and was an entire lap at something like between 30 and 40 seconds behind. IMO easily explained by his bad tactical position and reading of the race at that point. Sure that the French made that strong pull that surprised a lot of riders but the guys that were where they should be were able to follow them and benefit from that to go on the break.

 

[noob]

he will race Lombardia yes so maybe not at his peak atm.
IMO yesterday he had the legs to go with the break, it seems he was riding fairly easy, after all he alone was able to at one point shorten the gap by a few seconds and was an entire lap at something like between 30 and 40 seconds behind. IMO easily explained by his bad tactical position and reading of the race at that point. Sure that the French made that strong pull that surprised a lot of riders but the guys that were where they should be were able to follow them and benefit from that to go on the break.

@groogster @BlueRoads I've been wondering though if maybe he was spent in the split, had to recover for a while and then set out to attack. Not just bad tactics, just his normal pacing himself. But was Almeida in the same group as Nelson when he started to pull on the descent? Everything was going so fast and so wild I still couldn't catch half of what was going on with everyone.But wasn't the peleton split in half when it was already split in half? Was Almeida back in Mohoric group when Nelson pulled?

But what would he have lost yesterday had he not given up? I just don't understand that. He had nothing to lose and he didn't look spent. I still don't fully get it

Why would he be able to do anything really good at Lombardia? He's gonna have to be at least half Evenepoel domestique, no?

Luxemburg course seems to suit him. Also might be a really fun race if there's no parked trucks this year and if PSC has somewhat accurate start list (not counting on it, but Ayouso confirmed among others). But on the other hand I don't know what shape he is in. How many peaks a year does a rider have?

 

[carolina]

He was well positioned during the descent. The only portuguese rider that struggled was Ruben, he was the last to get to the peloton. They even showed him almost crashing on a corner.

Like you said, he'll be in Luxemburg tomorrow, so there was no point in wasting energy. He would never be able to reach the front group. He made the right choice, just wait for the group and then try the sprint. It's the type of race where finishing outside of top 1 (yes, ONE) doesn't matter.

My guess is they were all badly positioned, but I don't understand why. France was super strong during the whole race, it was expected that they would try something.

I can maybe undestand this type of mistake from João or Ruben, they are still young, but Costa is usually very good at choosing wheels and knowing who to follow.

It is what it is. They'll do better next year.

 

[noob]

He was well positioned during the descent. The only portuguese rider that struggled was Ruben, he was the last to get to the peloton. They even showed him almost crashing on a corner.

Like you said, he'll be in Luxemburg tomorrow, so there was no point in wasting energy. He would never be able to reach the front group. He made the right choice, just wait for the group and then try the sprint. It's the type of race where finishing outside of top 1 (yes, ONE) doesn't matter.

My guess is they were all badly positioned, but I don't understand why. France was super strong during the whole race, it was expected that they would try something.

I can maybe undestand this type of mistake from João or Ruben, they are still young, but Costa is usually very good at choosing wheels and knowing who to follow.

It is what it is. They'll do better next year.

Oh, yes I remembered Guerreiro almost crashing!

Mohoric was also a favorite, apart from Colbrelli, Evenepoel and Cosnefroy. People even expected Pog to be Mohoric, domestique so I keep wondering if some tried to mark him.

But I still think some are better with radio and some without and team tactics won't be as easy without radio.

I am not criticizing his choices, I just thought this was maybe more important to him than DQS pro tour that isn't even a world tour. But it might be he is again a favorite to win Luxembourg just like in Pologne, but I admit this looks harder. Field is full of attacking riders and a couple of GC riders as well.

Edit: my phone is too small to edit my comments well. I try to fix it.

 

[noob]

Ok, just saw an this image of him in front of that chasing group. (I swear if he was an actor instead of cyclist he'd cast well as that sweet guy everyone likes that turns out to be a serial killer.)

Those eyes are deadly Every rider obviously has their adrenaline looks. I am now totally googling riders "killer eyes" . Fascinating! Now I want a thread about that.

Edit: just saw he has previously written on Instagram "I never recognize my own expressions (face-palm) Am I the only one?".

Makes it even more hilarious

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Parrulo]

It seems like, much like Pog, he isn't as strong this second half of the seaason but that doesn't justify his atrocious posicioning at that key moment.

He will race Luxembourg which should be a good indicator of where he stands. The race has an interesting parcour with good competition and DQS is sending a very good team for the race.

 

[Bonimenier]

It seems like, much like Pog, he isn't as strong this second half of the seaason but that doesn't justify his atrocious posicioning at that key moment.

He will race Luxembourg which should be a good indicator of where he stands. The race has an interesting parcour with good competition and DQS is sending a very good team for the race.

Pretty sure Poland is part of the second half of the season.

 

[Red Rick]

It seems like, much like Pog, he isn't as strong this second half of the seaason but that doesn't justify his atrocious posicioning at that key moment.

He will race Luxembourg which should be a good indicator of where he stands. The race has an interesting parcour with good competition and DQS is sending a very good team for the race.

Does he dislike the heat?

 

[Parrulo]

Pretty sure Poland is part of the second half of the season.

Let's be honest, the level was also pretty low and the course really suited him. His only competition was Mohoric which is no Pog or Bernal like he faced at UAE, TA and the Giro. Luxembourg seems to actually have better competition.

Does he dislike the heat?

I think the heat really suits him, his posicioning just isn't all that great. As much as some fans criticize DQS, they usually do a great job positioning him. The Portugese team simply doesn't have the cohesive team work needed to keep him in the right place.

When France went to the front, there wasn't a single Portuguese rider in sight. By the top of the climb Almeida had managed to claw his way back to the front of the group and drop the remaining riders but the race was already up the road and he was out of it.

 

[Froome]

Almeida need to improve is position in the peloton, but we all know that we can't count with rui costa for nothing, he just love to suck wheels.

 

[southwards]

So much for bad form huh? If this lad had the name Johan van der Meijden and came from West Flanders people would be touting him to win every monument and gt in four years time...

Edit: apparently van der Meijden is a real name, lol.

 

[SafeBet]

So much for bad form huh? If this lad had the name Johan van der Meiden and came from West Flanders people would be touting him to win every monument and gt in four years time...

And this thread would be a total mess, so let's see the glass half full.

 

[noob]

So much for bad form huh? If this lad had the name Johan van der Meiden and came from West Flanders people would be touting him to win every monument and gt in four years time...

On point!

Weird thing though is he said he was tired. Both before the race and afterwards. So this is supposed to be his not top shape I guess.

It's all about the team it seems.

Also straight after race back to look like a puppy again. He has a really expressive face Makes it even more fun to watch!

 

[southwards]

On a more serious note. Last year's Giro gave me the impression he is a very punchy rider, but this year he failed completely in the hilly stages in Italy (TA and Giro). After dominating pologne and winning another punchy stage, it seems he definitely has a punch.

 

[groogster]

On point!

Weird thing though is he said he was tired. Both before the race and afterwards. So this is supposed to be his not top shape I guess.

It's all about the team it seems.

Also straight after race back to look like a puppy again. He has a really expressive face Makes it even more fun to watch!

Not feeling that good as he said which doesn’t surprise me giving the fact that today’s weather conditions aren’t of his liking. As for the positioning he was riding with DQ and not Portugal NT and as we all know DQ are a winning machine and they always put their leaders in the right spot at all times

 

[Leinster]

So now that he’s blown the “Most top 10s without a Win” he’s gone a complete 180 and can’t stop winning.