João Almeida - Bota Lume

[YavorD]

What is more impressive is how a portuguese forum member is almost desiring Almeida to fail just because he is in the same team of Pogacar. This climb is Almeida's kryptonite and he did a good job. How can someone saying he is not better when he is doing his best spring campaign ever, besting an all time great like Vingegaard twice in two MTF.
And again, we are talking about a portuguese cycling fan depreciating our best rider ever (or second best).

Almeida was 2nd and 3rd in Tirreno and Catalunya in 2023. So that's NOT his best spring, not yet at least.
Most of the things he's done so far are within the range of what he always does.

That's not a new level or something, marginal gains at best.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Almeida was 2nd and 3rd in Tirreno and Catalunya in 2023. So that's NOT his best spring, not yet at least.
Most of the things he's done so far are within the range of what he always does.

That's not a new level or something, marginal gains at best.

You can't look only to results. We have to look to performances and in Tirreno he lost to Roglic (don't even know how a mediocre Roglic won 3 stages and the GC. It was very strange, he wasn't good due to being his first race after his shoulder surgery). In Catalunya he was nowhere near the top2. He didn't have a single performance like he already had this season (Fóia and yesterday).

 

[YavorD]

You can't look only to results. We have to look to performances and in Tirreno he lost to Roglic (don't even know how a mediocre Roglic won 3 stages and the GC. It was very strange, he wasn't good due to being his first race after his shoulder surgery). In Catalunya he was nowhere near the top2. He didn't have a single performance like he already had this season (Fóia and yesterday).

Giro 2021, Catalunya 2022, Tour de Suisse 2024, to name a few similar performances to the ones this year.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Giro 2021, Catalunya 2022, Tour de Suisse 2024, to name a few similar performances to the ones this year.

Spring campaign Yavor... For me nothing beats his TdS performance last year but we need to wait for June to compare his performances.

 

[YavorD]

Spring campaign Yavor... For me nothing beats his TdS performance last year but we need to wait for June to compare his performances.

But Catalunya 2022 was in the spring, was it not?

It's really hard to assess his performance in PN because he is fighting Lenny Martinez (with all the respect).

 

[Peyroteo94]

But Catalunya 2022 was in the spring, was it not?

It's really hard to assess his performance in PN because he is fighting Lenny Martinez (with all the respect).

He is fighting Vingegaard. Today doesn't count but yesterday Vingegaard was healthy and was beaten. A mediocre Vingegaard is still a better stage racer than anyone else.
Catalunya 2022 is one race in the spring. He is already in his third race this year where he will probably finish on the podium.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

You can't look only to results. We have to look to performances and in Tirreno he lost to Roglic (don't even know how a mediocre Roglic won 3 stages and the GC. It was very strange, he wasn't good due to being his first race after his shoulder surgery). In Catalunya he was nowhere near the top2. He didn't have a single performance like he already had this season (Fóia and yesterday).

Why won't you give this same consideration to Wout?

 

[Peyroteo94]

Why won't you give this same consideration to Wout?

Because he really hasn't shown much in RVV and PR, specially in RVV. However I'm the first one to say luck has not been on his side but there is no doubt MVP has shown performances we never saw in Wout in these monuments.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Because he really hasn't shown much in RVV and PR, specially in RVV. However I'm the first one to say luck has not been on his side but there is no doubt MVP has shown performances we never saw in Wout in these monuments.

I don't believe this will be the case but

*yet

 

[noob]

Guys. The only one he can improve relative to is himself. Because what matters isn't who he was better than, but whether he is better compared to himself previous years.

The whole peleton is so fast that riders like Bardet has to retire. Bernal got 2 GT wins and still does the same numbers. But he doesn't get podiums even.

Wake ⏰️ ⏰️ ⏰️ ⏰️ ⏰️ ⏰️

 

[SHAD0W93]

But Catalunya 2022 was in the spring, was it not?

It's really hard to assess his performance in PN because he is fighting Lenny Martinez (with all the respect).

Almeida was no where near Roglic or Evenepoel in 2022, but has slowly improved each year.

Did Jorgenson and Vingegaard (before the crash) disappear?

 

[Froome]

Almeida was no where near Roglic or Evenepoel in 2022, but has slowly improved each year.

Did Jorgenson and Vingegaard (before the crash) disappear?

Vuelta Catalunya 2022, not Vuelta Catalunya 2023.

 

[Netserk]

Guys. The only one he can improve relative to is himself. Because what matters isn't who he was better than, but whether he is better compared to himself previous years.

The whole peleton is so fast that riders like Bardet has to retire. Bernal got 2 GT wins and still does the same numbers. But he doesn't get podiums even.

Wake ⏰️ ⏰️ ⏰️ ⏰️ ⏰️ ⏰️

With all due respect, they are not paid to improve or to be good. They are paid to race, and that is always against and relative to others.

 

[noob]

With all due respect, they are not paid to improve or to be good. They are paid to race, and that is always against and relative to others.

Yes. It just doesn't say anything about whether they improved or not 🤣

And since this is discussed to no avail it's good to know that there is a definite answer and it has nothing to do with opinions, since it's facts 🤣

Whether he will get results or if he will ride better than X YZ is another thing to discuss. But thankfully that can be discussed forever, because it's rarely based on facts 🤣

Facts are boring that way 😴

 

[SHAD0W93]

Vuelta Catalunya 2022, not Vuelta Catalunya 2023.

I typed 2022???

 

[Netserk]

Handled the conditions and the race situation superbly. Better than I expected. Only big danger is the wind on Friday and perhaps the descent down Porte.

Well, as expected he didn't make the splits in the mistral.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Stinks to lose time but this is his Achilles heel. Now there’s no excuse for him and UAE to not blow up tomorrow to try for the podium.

 

[noob]

Me coming home. Noticing Almeida lost so much time while I was eating gelato. I think I was more happy with my gelato after all

 

[Offline]

Almeida being Almeida... Never get's it apparently.

Team also horrible. Politt, Narváez and Olivera that was your job!

 

[Peyroteo94]

Almeida being Almeida... Never get's it apparently.

Team also horrible. Politt, Narváez and Olivera that was your job!

Almeida needs to be better. Sick of blaming the team. With Ayuso this didn't happen.

 

[theyoungest]

Almeida being Almeida... Never get's it apparently.

Team also horrible. Politt, Narváez and Olivera that was your job!

UAE have always been horrible at this. It's just Pogacar who isn't.

 

[zlev11]

View: https://youtu.be/JUBIU0gkWfs?si=HZOx-SNEVgV2II3I

 

[carolina]

He better win tomorrow.

 

[Froome]

Almeida needs to be better. Sick of blaming the team. With Ayuso this didn't happen.

Like i said, he didn't improved. He is still the same. He have the same strenghts, and he have the same vulnerabilities.

 

[Salvarani]

Almeida needs to be better. Sick of blaming the team. With Ayuso this didn't happen.

Yeah, his awareness and positioning needs to be better. He can improve there on his own... but his team in this race arent helping much to protect him.

He has definitely improved strength-wise so far.

Interesting weekend ahead and going forward. He looks very good this year.