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João Almeida - Bota Lume

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I think that UAE would be a better option than Bora.
At UAE only Pogacar is a GT leader, Ayuso is just 18(19?) and Ardila is the same age as João but zero results since step up to WT. In another perpective its a team that seems to have a good staff and already have a few portugueses on it (without contrat for 2021 but...)

In Bora Buchmann and Kelderman will want leadership in GT, and its a German team that in case of doubt will favor someone from a more atractive market for the sponsor. The staff and support wouldn't be a problem.

Movistar seems stop in time. Every promising rider that goes there stop showing results (Mas and Cortina most recently). They would be able to create a good core arround João, but the way team works its too troublessome.

Ineos already have too many leaders.

Two teams that would be a nice fitting, imo, Trek and ISN.
Like somebody told already, in Trek, Nibali is leaving, Mollema get a top5 is a huge goal nowadays, Ciccone is a bad TT.
ISN put a lot of money in Froome, and its quiet obvios that he will not get any great result soon. They don't have any GT leader besides D. Martin and is a team that every year has made a step foward, improving stuff and rider.
I already said to many times, Trek Segafredo would be a wonderful team for Almeida expectations!
 
I already said to many times, Trek Segafredo would be a wonderful team for Almeida expectations!

Hm, why was it that you would like Trek for him?
I am doubting their tactical aptitude, and don't they have one of the lower budgets in the WT? Okay, Nibali might leave, but I doubt they would give him the money he wants. Also they have quite a classics' team, and not that many great mountain domestiques either... I think Mollema doesn't really see himself as a domestique, Ciccone wants to prove himself as well, Brambilla is ambitious himself... If Almeida wants loyal domestiques this might not be the best place. Porte last year had Pedersen at his side, that was important, but look at their support for Porte otherwise.
 
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Hm, why was it that you would like Trek for him?
I am doubting their tactical aptitude, and don't they have one of the lower budgets in the WT? Okay, Nibali might leave, but I doubt they would give him the money he wants. Also they have quite a classics' team, and not that many great mountain domestiques either... I think Mollema doesn't really see himself as a domestique, Ciccone wants to prove himself as well, Brambilla is ambitious himself... If Almeida wants loyal domestiques this might not be the best place. Porte last year had Pedersen at his side, that was important, but look at their support for Porte otherwise.
Just because I love their coffee :)

joke aside, if he signs with Trek he will be the undisputed leader, and if Trek Segafredo chose to sign him it would mean that they will give him full support for that.
 
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What has happened to Trek? They used to be the team of the Schlecks and Cancellara, they could win any classic and contend in Grand Tours. Then they started into this phase of signing former GT winners on their way down. They have good classics riders, but no GT presence any more.

If they were to sign Almeida, they could give him TdF leadership; then tell Ciccone, Mollema, Brambilla that they are working for Joao in July, and free to follow their own ambitions at the Giro or Vuelta. This can be adjusted depending on how much TT is in each GT each year.
 
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It’s confirmed. João Almeida and Nelson Oliveira are going to the Olympics for Portugal. Kind of surprising not seeing Rui Costa in the NT for The Olympics, I guess that iTT had a strong word in National Coach choices.
This also probably means that João Almeida is not going to “La Vuelta” with DQ.
It would probably be mad sending a 22 year old to 2 GTs in a season, even if he is off at the end of the year.
 
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It’s confirmed. João Almeida and Nelson Oliveira are going to the Olympics for Portugal. Kind of surprising not seeing Rui Costa in the NT for The Olympics, I guess that iTT had a strong word in National Coach choices.
This also probably means that João Almeida is not going to “La Vuelta” with DQ.

Yeah, he disappeared from procyclingstats Vuelta startlist a few days ago.
 
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Yeah, he disappeared from procyclingstats Vuelta startlist a few days ago.
It’s better that way, he goes to the Olympics in a once in a lifetime experience and he leaves La Vuelta for another season. I also agree that he’s to young to do 2 GT in a single season. It’s better to don’t rush things because he is still in development as a rider so he should be careful with his season.
 
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What has happened to Trek? They used to be the team of the Schlecks and Cancellara, they could win any classic and contend in Grand Tours. Then they started into this phase of signing former GT winners on their way down. They have good classics riders, but no GT presence any more.

If they were to sign Almeida, they could give him TdF leadership; then tell Ciccone, Mollema, Brambilla that they are working for Joao in July, and free to follow their own ambitions at the Giro or Vuelta. This can be adjusted depending on how much TT is in each GT each year.
Trek should rather spend the space and money they free up in their team when Nibali leaves to sign one-day specalists. Rather than battle Ineos and the Slovenians in the Grand Tours. Which is probably a losing battle anyway.
 
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Almeida (Klöden)/Pogacar (Ullrich) :)

Pogacar's career has actually been a little reminiscent of Ullrich's so far. His first GT was the Vuelta. His first really big pro results was a surprise second place finish in a GT followed by a win in the next. Both times he's been fighting against a GT winning teammate (of his national team, that is), who was surposed to be better than him. And he wasn't as strong a time trialer as the teammate initially, but then that changed as well.

The question now is, who is going to play Pantani in this scenario?
 
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Pogacar's career has actually been a little reminiscent of Ullrich's so far. His first GT was the Vuelta. His first really big pro results was a surprise second place finish in a GT followed by a win in the next. Both times he's been fighting against a GT winning teammate (of his national team, that is), who was surposed to be better than him. And he wasn't as strong a time trialer as the teammate initially, but then that changed as well.

The question now is, who is going to play Pantani in this scenario?

Pantani was going to be Padun, until Bahrain stole our fun.

But on a slightly more serious note, that since Marco had already been around for a while before Ullrich arrived, let's make Marco Mikel.

Or maybe Miguel?

Regardless, sensitive Pantani fans (which are probably one and the same) will likely be upset with any attempted comparisons. Calm down kittens; this is not exactly LS burning the quran here.
 
Pantani was going to be Padun, until Bahrain stole our fun.

But on a slightly more serious note, that since Marco had already been around for a while before Ullrich arrived, let's make Marco Mikel.

Or maybe Miguel?

Regardless, sensitive Pantani fans (which are probably one and the same) will likely be upset with any attempted comparisons. Calm down kittens; this is not exactly LS burning the quran here.


Miguel Ángel only needs a bandana and a beard and he's Pantani's second coming. ;)

But I really struggle to put Pogacar and Ullrich next to each other, they are so different :screamcat:
 

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