João Almeida - Bota Lume

[pvieira91]

Azevedo was/is my fav portuguese cyclist.

He was a fantastic domestique and made great results but nothing compared with what we expect JA can do

 

[pvieira91]

If I'm not wrong it was pvieira who said a couple of days ago that he started watching cycling during last year's Giro. To then make such a statement is quite funny.

I can explain to you... It's not hard to understand. I'm not a fan of MotoGP and yet I know Miguel Oliveira is the best portuguese athlete (in that sport) of all time.
Joaquim Agostinho continues to be the best portuguese cyclist of all time but I expect João Almeida to surpass him.

 

[trevim]

I actually hope that he doesn’t ride the Vuelta: it’s quite difficult to manage two peaks in the same year, even Giro-Vuelta, so I think he’s actually better off without it. He’s very young too, no point in putting too much pressure on because even as stage hunter I doubt he’ll be welcomed in a lot of breakaways.

I would prefer that he could ride some stuff with the aim of taking his first win: Tour de l’Ain, Poland/Norway and then a whole bunch of Italian semi classics including Emilia in the lead up to Lombardia.

 

[Froome]

What is the best team for JA?
I think EF with Guerreiro would be pretty cool, but certainly no dling dling to pay his hyped contract so...

Bora? UAE? Bahrain?

I would like to see him at Bahrain, Landa for no heavy ITT GTs and Almeida for the heavy ones.

Jumbo or ineos. He is a perfect rider for a team with a train.

 

[ExperienPT]

No! Not Ineos please...

 

[groogster]

So, in the toughest week of the Giro, João Almeida was the best rider! What if... What if...
Hope he goes to this year's Vuelta! He can win it!

If he’s called to the Olympics it will mess with his “La Vuelta” preparation. He also stated in Portuguese media that he prefer to go to the Olympics prioritizing that over “La Vuelta”

 

[groogster]

Jumbo or ineos. He is a perfect rider for a team with a train.

He stated a few months ago that his priority is to chose a team that will give him a strong leading role so Jumbo and Ineos would be a bad choice. I still think that Trek Segafredo would be a good option regarding that. He will end at Bora because it seems that the deal was done already.

 

[Panda Claws]

Ineos would be a pretty dangerous choice if you want to be race leader lol. Other than that though it's probably pretty great to ride there.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Jumbo or ineos. He is a perfect rider for a team with a train.

I'm not sure that's the case. He seems perfectly capable of pacing himself very well and he can easily let Ineos do the work for him if he's at another team. I think a rider who has issues pacing himself, will benefit more from riding in a train. I think he's the perfect rider to BE IN the train for another rider, but i'm sure you don't want that. In fact, i think he might want to go to a team with a bit less support but some quality climbers, but where he is the absolute GC leader. At Ineos, he has to take a number and get in line. Bernal, Thomas, Martinez, Carapaz, Hart... If you don't want the same scenario happening as this Giro, where he has to work for a teammate, then Ineos is about the worst team for him to go to. He has to go to a team that has no more than 2 other GC riders with whom he can split GT's.

 

[groogster]

I'm not sure that's the case. He seems perfectly capable of pacing himself very well and he can easily let Ineos do the work for him if he's at another team. I think a rider who has issues pacing himself, will benefit more from riding in a train. I think he's the perfect rider to BE IN the train for another rider, but i'm sure you don't want that. In fact, i think he might want to go to a team with a bit less support but some quality climbers, but where he is the absolute GC leader. At Ineos, he has to take a number and get in line. Bernal, Thomas, Martinez, Carapaz, Hart... If you don't want the same scenario happening as this Giro, where he has to work for a teammate, then Ineos is about the worst team for him to go to. He has to go to a team that has no more than 2 other GC riders with whom he can split GT's.

Spot on !

 

[BlueRoads]

I guess if Buchmann is more for the tt-poor GTs, Hindley doesn't go to Bora and Kämna isn't in for GTs, Schachmann can take some smaller GC races, then Almeida can have a very important role at Bora.
But you will always have to make compromises as a rider, you cannot have the best support, sole leader role plus a lot of money unless you are Pogacar and I clearly don't see him at that level. (Of course surprises in cycling always happen.)

I would be very careful with going to a team like Trek if you're coming from DQS, because there are few teams at which riders can hold their level after leaving, and I don't think Trek is among them.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I guess if Buchmann is more for the tt-poor GTs, Hindley doesn't go to Bora and Kämna isn't in for GTs, Schachmann can take some smaller GC races, then Almeida can have a very important role at Bora.
But you will always have to make compromises as a rider, you cannot have the best support, sole leader role plus a lot of money unless you are Pogacar and I clearly don't see him at that level. (Of course surprises in cycling always happen.)

I would be very careful with going to a team like Trek if you're coming from DQS, because there are few teams at which riders can hold their level after leaving, and I don't think Trek is among them.

A lot of people see that as proof that shady stuff is going on at DQT, while in reality, there are only two types of riders who never reach their former level after leaving the team: old geezers (Gilbert, Terpstra...) because, well, they're old. And sprinters (Viviani, Cavendish, Gaviria...) simply because DQT have the best sprint leadouts and a huge focus on it. For other riders, who are young enough at the time of leaving and not reliant on sprints, the myth starts to crumble. Look at Schachmann, De Plus, De Gendt, Martin, Trentin... For every rider who does not fall in one of the two aforementioned criteria, who performs worse after leaving DQT, there is a rider who performs better after leaving.

 

[groogster]

I wouldn’t be worried with João being able to keep or even progress as a rider in a team like Trek Segafredo.

 

[groogster]

So, in the toughest week of the Giro, João Almeida was the best rider! What if... What if...
Hope he goes to this year's Vuelta! He can win it!

It will depends on the participation at the Olympics and the field of riders for “La Vuelta”. If he does not go to the Olympics and try to peak for “La Vuelta”, if he is designated as the DQ leader and if he shows the kind of form from the Giro 3rd week he will be a strong contender for the Top3 for sure.

 

[IndianCyclist]

A lot of people see that as proof that shady stuff is going on at DQT, while in reality, there are only two types of riders who never reach their former level after leaving the team: old geezers (Gilbert, Terpstra...) because, well, they're old. And sprinters (Viviani, Cavendish, Gaviria...) simply because DQT have the best sprint leadouts and a huge focus on it. For other riders, who are young enough at the time of leaving and not reliant on sprints, the myth starts to crumble. Look at Schachmann, De Plus, De Gendt, Martin, Trentin... For every rider who does not fall in one of the two aforementioned criteria, who performs worse after leaving DQT, there is a rider who performs better after leaving.

A correction Cav won 4 tdf stages against DQS after DQS. U should replace Cav with Kittel

 

[Froome]

I'm not sure that's the case. He seems perfectly capable of pacing himself very well and he can easily let Ineos do the work for him if he's at another team. I think a rider who has issues pacing himself, will benefit more from riding in a train. I think he's the perfect rider to BE IN the train for another rider, but i'm sure you don't want that. In fact, i think he might want to go to a team with a bit less support but some quality climbers, but where he is the absolute GC leader. At Ineos, he has to take a number and get in line. Bernal, Thomas, Martinez, Carapaz, Hart... If you don't want the same scenario happening as this Giro, where he has to work for a teammate, then Ineos is about the worst team for him to go to. He has to go to a team that has no more than 2 other GC riders with whom he can split GT's.

Ironically, it's because of that capacity of pacing himself that i think a team with a train would be perfect for joao. He don't like changes of pace, he likes to climb on a good and certain pace, and for that i think a train would suits joao. With a train the climbs can be made at a good and certain pace. I agree with you when you say that would be very difficult to joao on ineos because they have a lot of leaders. Maybe jumbo it's better, joao almeida and roglic could lead the team on the three grand tours.
I think he's got a verbal agreement with bora. They have a good team.

 

[IndianCyclist]

His attention to detail isn't good considering he bonked. He should go to a team with good support staff for GC so he can hit the ground running. Otherwise the support will also have a learning curve as seen from the 2019 Jumbo Giro and 2018 BEX Giro campaigns

 

[groogster]

Finished reading an interview given by Almeida agent “João Correia” to one of the biggest Portuguese daily newspapers “Público” that came out just today and as important notes retained from it:

There are untill now 4 proposals to sign Almeida, Bora, UAE, AG2R and Movistar and on August the 1st people will know which one will sign him.(the decision as not been made yet)

Almeida wants to go to the Olympics even if that means he won’t go to “La Vuelta”

Almeida agent said that he hopes that Almeida gets called to the Olympics and that he don’t wants to Almeida ride in “La Vuelta”, he thinks that Almeida is to young to do 2 GT in a season and that it would be a mistake.

He also said that Almeida would love to stay in DQ because it’s João’s favorite team but according to the agent they gave him low numbers in their renewal proposal while the other 4 teams proposed high contract figures and 2 of them the opportunity of the main Leading role for GTs.

 

[Leinster]

There are untill now 4 proposals to sign Almeida, Bora, UAE, AG2R and Movistar and on August the 1st people will know which one will sign him.(the decision as not been made yet)


He also said that Almeida would love to stay in DQ because it’s João’s favorite team but according to the agent they gave him low numbers in their renewal proposal while the other 4 teams proposed high contract figures and 2 of them the opportunity of the main Leading role for GTs.

AG2R would be one.

UAE is not the other, unless they mean "GTs that Tadej won't ride."

 

[BlueRoads]

Don't think it's such great style though from Correia to go public with these options / proposals.

 

[groogster]

Don't think it's such great style though from Correia to go public with these options / proposals.

As stylish as Lefevere’s going public with Almeida not renewing his contract with DQ days before the start of the Giro

 

[groogster]

AG2R would be one.

UAE is not the other, unless they mean "GTs that Tadej won't ride."

AG2R one and maybe Bora the other giving him the 1st choice of which GT to lead ahead of the other GC riders on their teams and UAE and Movistar maybe offering being leader or co-leader of 1 GT per season

 

[Panda Claws]

Don't think it's such great style though from Correia to go public with these options / proposals.

Wonder if this is an example of what Wiggins and Lefevere mentioned about football agents entering cycling. That this is a smaller sport where it is important to maintain good relationships all-around and to not burn bridges.
I am not sure if the teams involved are going to be annoyed that Correia went this route but I wouldn't be surprised about it either. Then again I expected a much harsher tone against DQS than was the case now.

And sure Lefevere may have been lacking tact as well but 'two wrongs don't make a right'.

 

[yaco]

Well if Movistar have tabled an offer for Almeide, this suggests Lopez will not be there in 2022.

 

[BlueRoads]

As stylish as Lefevere’s going public with Almeida not renewing his contract with DQ days before the start of the Giro

Yeah, but I don't mean in regards to DQS, but towards the teams who made an offer.