Interview | Evenepoel? Roglic? UAE is counting on 'Almeida style': "He has the numbers to go for pink"

So far, the focus in the Giro d'Italia has been on Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic. If the signs are correct, the two will have to battle it out for the pink jersey. However, after eight days, João Almeida, representing UAE Team Emirates, has boldly placed himself just behind Evenepoel and Roglic in the general classification. In an extensive interview, In de Leiderstrui spoke with UAE team boss Joxean Fernandéz Matxin about the Portuguese team leader, who seems to be in the form of his life.

Almeida owes his good position in the standings to the individual time trial on day one. He was 29 seconds slower than winner Evenepoel, only seven seconds slower than specialist Filippo Ganna and a whopping fourteen seconds faster than Roglic. Matxin wasn't surprised by this. "João is a climber with a good time trial. As a junior, he was always one of the favorites in a time trial, and in 2020, he finished second in the Giro prologue, behind Ganna."

Almeida worked hard to improve time trial

With an individual time trial on the schedule for Sunday's ninth stage, UAE Team Emirates hopes to strike again with Almeida. The 24-year-old leader has worked hard on his time trial. "Last year was the first year with us and with a new Colnago bike. He worked hard on the best bike setup, together with the mechanics, and improved his core, making him more elastic on the bike. He improved his aerodynamics in the wind tunnel in Silverstone. And we also looked at the perfect equipment, from his shoes to his helmet," Matxin said.

In the Giro, in that regard everything must strive for perfection. "He's not necessarily riding with the best possible equipment in the Giro, but with the perfect equipment for him: the perfect position, the right handlebars, the right wheels... Every year, he gains more confidence because he works hard every year. The Silverstone figures have been optimally analyzed, where we also looked at balance, the position of his knees and his ability to suffer. This is crucial in the time trial, where it's mostly about power on a regular race bike."

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What is "the Almeida system"?

In the second and especially third week, Almeida will have to show whether he can keep up with Evenepoel and Roglic in the mountains. Matxin won't rule that out beforehand. "He has the numbers to go for the pink jersey, that's clear to us. However, that also depends on the competition, when you race against Roglic, Evenepoel, or Pogacar and Vingegaard... João is always at his best in the third week, so we believe in him and his values. We haven't chosen Tadej Pogacar in the Tour and João in the Giro for two years in a row for nothing. We have tremendous confidence in him and the dream is to win a Grand Tour. There are two favorites before the race, but in cycling, everyone eventually finds their place."

The most important thing in this regard is not to be provoked. Almeida has been extremely consistent over the past seasons. He broke through in 2020 with a fourth place (and two weeks in the pink jersey) in the Giro d'Italia, on behalf of Quick Step, and did it again in 2021 with a sixth place. After his switch to UAE, he finished fifth in the Vuelta last year. He often seems to struggle in those big tours, but Almeida rarely cracks. In the finale, he is always among the front runners. Matxin explains: "For us, João is already an experienced leader. He is only 24 years old, but he has been around for a long time. He is super intelligent, truly very smart. He has a very clear vision of cycling, within the team we call it 'the Almeida system' or 'Almeida-style'. He is often a follower in the beginning, and then comes to the front."

With Almeida, UAE Team Emirates doesn't have to sit in the top twenty for the entire stage. "I respect that, because being in the front often wastes a lot of energy," Matxin continued. "João knows exactly how his body works, even if you see him hanging on the elastic behind the group on TV. He prefers his way of racing." Matxin has a diesel in Almeida without any big frills. "Perhaps others are more explosive during climbs, but João usually saves it for the final kilometers. He is a very good puncher, but not often during a climb. He must rely on his consistency, a good pace. It's all about controlling the body and power and maximum power. He has a few punches in his arsenal and will never lose quickly."

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Vine and McNulty have roles of their own at UAE

Almeida can count on a strong team for his Giro mission. With Davide Formolo, Alessandro Covi, Ryan Gibbons, Diego Ulissi and Pascal Ackermann, UAE covers all bases. And Brandon McNulty comes in as a luxury helper. "Brandon should enjoy cycling and not worry about position or time loss. He should support the leaders, but like Marc Soler, he does get all the space to go for a stage win. This Giro offers many opportunities for escapees. We made that decision back in October."

And then there's Jay Vine, the Australian rider who will have the freedom to do his own thing as a shadow leader. "For Jay, it's a new thing to go for a classification. That's why we take it step by step and day by day. We want to see how he develops and look at his level at the end of each week. Is he still good after the first week? Then we'll continue. Is he still good after the second week? Then we'll continue. Depending on his situation, we'll consider whether he should keep going for the classification or if it's smarter for him to focus on the mountain classification, or chasing a stage victory during the Giro."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: b.vanderploeg@indeleiderstrui.nl)