What week of JOAO ALMEIDA (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)! The Portuguese has completed its week perfectly on the Switzerland Tourby winning the 8th stage this Sunday, a time trial of 10.1 km uphill, creating colossal differences. If his dolphin, Felix Gall (Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale Team) finishes at 25 seconds, the third, Oscar Onley (Team Picnic Postnl), is him at 1'12 “of the Portuguese. Almeida take advantage of this victory to steal the general's first place on the thread at Kévin Vauquelin (Arkea-B & B Hotels), author of a beautiful 4th place this Sunday, and thus won his first Switzerland Tour.
VIDEO – The reaction of Joao Almeida after his triumph in Switzerland
“I am ready for the Tour de France and support Tadej Pogacar”
After the arrival, he returned first to this difficult time trial: “I think that I started a little too fast today, to be honest. I misunderstood my effort at the beginning, and at the end, I no longer really had any fuel to give everything in the last kilometer. But I guess it was not necessary, that it was enough. I really made a very good climb, I felt very well. At some times, I thought that my power sensor was badly calibrated, because it was more likely. Usually..
He spoke of this formidable comeback since Sunday: “It was a long path. A single error can cost you very dearly. Fortunately, we did not do it, and we managed to go to the end. In fact, it was a big plan since the first day, when I lost three minutes. The team was incredible, we did a perfect job, we fought for victory, we never abandoned, we always believed it. In the end, it's a real lesson. Just continue to try.. Cap now on the Tour de France, which begins in less than two weeks, on July 5. “”I will take full advantage of this victory. And then I will be ready for the Tour and support Tadej Pogacar. I hope we will gain other successes“, He concluded.
