João Almeida has doubts six weeks before the Giro d'Italia: “Maybe I need to do some tests”

Almeida is still expected to lead his team at the Giro in six weeks’ time, but after podium finishes in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and the Volta ao Algarve, he could do no better than 38th overall in Catalunya. Earlier this month, he had already been forced to miss Paris-Nice because of illness, which only added to the uncertainty surrounding his build-up to the first Grand Tour of the year.

Almeida did not want to use that illness as an excuse. “I already felt like this before the start,” he said. “Maybe I need to do some tests and analyses. I’ll have to discuss it with the medical team.” It was a strikingly honest assessment from a rider who had been expected to arrive at the Giro as one of UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s major leaders.

“I don’t feel very good on the bike at the moment. Maybe I need to rest for a bit, work out what is going on, and then get back to working hard,” the Portuguese rider explained to CyclingProNet.

Even so, Almeida also stressed that there is currently no plan to change his Giro d'Italia programme. “I think I will keep the same schedule,” he said. So despite the doubts, his aim remains unchanged: recover, understand the problem, and still line up for the Giro as planned.