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João Almeida admits that the opponents are already counting on you for the final victory. However, he says that it is very difficult to win the Giro.
The Portuguese cyclist João Almeida (Deceuninck-QuickStep) admitted that his opponents in the Volta a Itália already consider him in the accounts for the final victory in the race, after almost two weeks in the pink jersey.
Enjoying the second day of rest in his first three-week competition, the young 22-year-old leader of the race admitted that it was “normal” for his opponents to think that his lead, gained in the second stage, would be temporary. and that he himself is surprised to stay ahead.
“Yes, that has changed. Let’s see how this week goes,” he just said when asked if the competition already took it into account, in a press conference held through an online digital platform.
Even so, the natural cyclist from Caldas da Rainha said that he still does not believe that he can win the Giro and that he will only do so “if he reaches the last day” with the pink jersey on, something that he only believes is possible “if he maintains the consistency. “.
“If you have a bad day, there is not much you can do. It is a surprise to continue wearing the pink shirt, no doubt, but I think that if it remains constant, it may be possible. But I never did a big tour, so it is unpredictable I think that if it continues with this consistency it will always be possible, but very difficult, “said João Almeida.
Anticipating a “very tough” last week of the race, Almeida assured that “there is no plan” to address what is lacking in the race as a whole and that the strategy will pass “day by day seeing all the stages”, which will tighten in the last week of the competition, but they are to your liking.
“Personally, I like this type of stage, tough, with several long climbs. But we have been on our legs for two weeks now, it will be stages of more than 200 kilometers and it will undoubtedly be a challenge. And I like challenges,” he commented.
And, at a time when the race is going to get tougher, it is important to talk about the way in which João Almeida had to defend the pink jersey in the 15th stage alone, after “taking off” from the group where his main team followed him. pursuer, the Dutch Wilco. Kelderman (Cobweb).
In this sense, the Portuguese came out in defense of his teammates, noting that “Kelderman had a super day”, that “they were fine, but not at that level” and guaranteeing that he was “very grateful for everything they have done so far” .
“I feel that I have made history and I am very proud of my team for the work they have done. Doing more is impossible. Yesterday [domingo] I felt really good and there really is a question of capacity. Simply, when the [Wilco] Kelderman and surrounding Jai [Hindlei] I accelerated, I did not have the legs to continue and it was indifferent to be with a colleague or not ”, devalued the Giro leader.
About that moment and the suffering that happened in the last kilometers of the stage, João Almeida confessed that, when he saw his opponents take off, he still thought that “he could close the gap”, but then he was “trying to lose as little as possible”.
“Suffering is part of it, it is crossing that mental barrier, going beyond the limits. For me, it is from there that one begins to suffer, because we are used to physical suffering. The mind is the boss, the physical pain is tolerable, but the mental is complicated, ”he confessed.
João Almeida leads the Tour of Italy on the second day of competition, after completing 15 stages, with a 15-second lead for the Dutch Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb).
The race will resume on Tuesday for a week that will be marked by long stages with many mountain counts, ending on Sunday with the arrival in Milan.
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