JOÃO ALMEIDA

Hagens Berman- Axeon’s Portuguese climber is making big waves on the U23 circuit

What’s his story?

Having been brought up on a diet of football and swimming, João started mountain biking at 13 before switching to road racing a couple of years later. It wasn’t long before the 20-year-old from Caldas da Rainha in western Portugal began making a name for himself on the climbs of the U23 racing circuit.

Why should we pay attention?

In his first season with Axel Merckx’s highly rated development team, Hagens Berman, João bagged an impressive second overall at the Baby Giro, fifth at the Ronde de l’Isard and seventh at the Tour de l’Avenir. He also won the U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège. With 6km to go, João distanced the break and held them off to win by 15 seconds.

Is he a Classics rider, then?

Not strictly, though of course he’d love to race them. He tells Procycling: “I’m more like a climber and a guy for hard races. I can be good at time trials, not a specialist, but I can do a good time trial, especially in stage races.” Although he wouldn’t compare himself with any rider in the pro peloton, João says he likes Chris Froome, Tom Dumoulin and the senior Liège-Bastogne-Liège champion, Bob Jungels.

What’s his plan for the future?

João would like to move up to the WorldTour soon, although he admits it’s a big step. For now, he’s focused on having another good season with Hagens BermanAxeon. He says: “It’s different from normal teams, because you are not pressured and completely relaxed.” It also helped having other Portuguese riders in the squad when João joined the team in 2018 - the Oliveira twins Ivo and Rui. Although both moved up to UAE Emirates this season, the team, João says, now feels like it is his family.

What about his plans for 2019?

João would love to win the Tour de l’Avenir, or maybe a World Championship title, but, he concludes: “I will just keep riding and doing my work and hope things will go well.”