Joao Almeida focused on Giro as UAE Team Emirates launch program to discover new talent

UAE Team Emirates rider Joao Almeida has said the Giro d'Italia will be his main goal next season after being forced to withdraw from this year's race with Covid-19.

The Portuguese cyclist was firmly in general classification contention at the grand tour in May, wearing the white jersey for leading young rider and occupying a podium place, before news of his positive test meant he needed to pull out of the race prior to Stage 18.

It was a heartbreaking end to what had been a superb tour for Almeida, but he is determined to chase down glory when he returns to the Giro next year.

“I want to focus on the Giro again,” Almeida told The National during his participation in the Adnoc Accelerator Program at Hudayriat Island in Abu Dhabi at the weekend.

Sharing the team's goals for next season, Almeida added: “We are going to do everything to challenge every race we participate in as a team.

"We had a pretty good year but I was expecting a little more in the Giro, but unfortunately I had Covid, but the team doesn’t depend on me alone. Overall I learned a lot and had some good results.”

Despite the Giro setback, it was a successful season for Almeida, who won the Portuguese national road race championship, won the white jersey at Paris–Nice, and claimed podium finishes at Vuelta a Burgos and Volta a Catalunya, winning stages in both races.

Almeida was in the UAE to attend the launch of the Adnoc Accelerator Program, a training camp created to identify and develop the next generation of Emirati cycling talent.

The program offers promising Emirati cyclists the opportunity to train under the tutelage of the UAE Team Emirates’ high performance coaching staff and to compete alongside the two-time Tour de France winning team.

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