João Almeida is the next big name skipping the World Championships in Rwanda: the Portuguese rider focuses on different goal this fall

Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, and Wout van Aert… just a few names on the long list of absentees from the Worlds in Rwanda. The reason? The brutal course with nearly 5,500 meters of climbing. Almeida is now the next big star of modern cycling who will be notable by his absence.

José Poeira, coach of the Portuguese national team, explained the decision to A Bola. “This was one of the toughest selections of my career. Two major championships in consecutive weeks, on different continents, forced us to make very careful choices,” Poeira said, referring to the European Championships in the Ardèche region of France in early October.

So Portugal too had to make a drastic decision. “Like other national teams, we chose not to send juniors or women to the Worlds, so that they can be at their best for the European Championships,” said the national coach.

That Rwanda will be tough is certainly no secret, according to Poeira. “The route will be exceptionally hard, with elevation changes, humidity, and a cumulative altitude gain of 5,000 meters. The challenge is enormous, but the team is motivated and fully focused on representing Portugal in the best possible way,” he added.

So who will Poeira rely on in Rwanda? Breakout rider Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious), top talent António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), the experienced Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), and Continental rider Tiago Antunes (Efapel Cycling).

Almeida will instead turn his focus to the European Championships, where the UAE star will compete in both the time trial and the road race. According to the Portuguese cycling federation, that’s the reason behind his non-selection for Rwanda. “After his participation in the Vuelta a España, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider preferred to concentrate fully on the European Championships,” the federation said.

“There he will be part of the national team in both the individual time trial, together with Nelson Oliveira, and the road race,” it continued. In the Ardèche road race, Almeida can count on support from Eulálio, teammate Morgado, Rui Costa (EF Education–EasyPost), and Nelson Oliveira (Movistar).

Afonso Eulálio