Why least convincing? Did you forget the first stage? Without that stage, Almeida wins this with a 2 minutes gap.
I suppose he's talking about the participation.
Two minutes doesn't seem like much to this competition. Last year, he beat Skjelmose by 3 minutes. The route was more difficult, but he didn't need to attack.
In Dauphiné 4 minutes beteween third and fith. Two minutes is a good gap, but the level is lower than in the Dauphiné.
I see Almeida at a similar level to last year. It's just that this year he's chosen the calendar better to win. Last year, he gifted the race to Yates.