João Almeida honored to be the last man in 'Pogi', but prepared to be 'bait'

João Almeida feels honoured to be the last man standing for Tadej Pogacar, “perhaps” the best cyclist of all time, in the 112th Tour de France, showing himself available to be “a bait” for UAE Emirates if the defending champion needs it.

“I’ve said it many times: it’s an honour to be part of the Tour team and to be the last man [behind Pogacar]. We’re not just talking about the best cyclist of the present day, but perhaps of all time. And, after all, being part of that history, for me personally, gives me extra motivation”, he acknowledged, in response to a question from the Lusa news agency.

In a video conference with Portuguese journalists from Lille, where the 112th edition of the 'Grande Boucle' kicks off on Saturday, the cyclist from A-dos-Francos (Caldas da Rainha) reiterated his availability to work for the three-time Tour de France champion (2020, 2021 and 2024), but also to be launched as 'bait' to protect the Slovenian 'prodigy'.

“At the start, I will be Tadej’s last man. Then, there are always bad days. If my teammates feel better and are stronger, they can do a better job and will stay until the end. If there is a race situation […] for me to be a bait, in my opinion, it would be good to take advantage of it. And it would be a win-win for everyone”, he assessed.

With no personal goals set for this edition, which ends on July 27 in Paris, João Almeida said he is prepared to take over the leadership of UAE Emirates if his leader has any bad luck.

“I don’t think there’s anything stopping me from doing that. We hope nothing bad happens. If something doesn’t go well, we’re always ready to give our best. But we have to be realistic: Tadej is clearly a level above. The opponents are very strong too,” he noted.

For the fourth-placed finisher in the Tour2024, bad luck for Pogacar “would change the dynamics of the race a lot”.

“But we have to give it our best. If it’s our second best chance, of course I’ll do it for that,” promised the third-placed rider in the Giro2023.

Almeida insisted once again that fighting for a place on the podium, as well as a stage win, is “secondary”, but he guaranteed that “if there is that luck and that opportunity to do that”, he will give his best.

Regarding the rivalry with Visma-Lease a Bike, led by Jonas Vingegaard, the 2022 and 2023 champion, the Portuguese from UAE Emirates considered that the two 'eights' are “equivalent”.

“We are a bit on the same page. Our legs will speak louder. Obviously, tactically there are always several things that can be done. Then, it depends on the general situation that day, whether there are athletes who are behind or not. We have to always be prepared for everything, so that our opponents don’t surprise us,” he added.

Speaking about the statements made by Remco Eveneponel (Soudal Quick-Step), the Belgian who on Thursday said he wanted to compete with the last two Tour winners and improve on last year's third place, Almeida admitted that he does not think it is possible for his former teammate to reach the level of Pogacar and Vingegaard.

“Vingegaard is a superior mountain biker and there is only one flat time trial, where Remco clearly has the advantage. If I could bet on one to come second, I would bet on Vingegaard. For first, I would bet on my teammate, but that is my opinion,” he declared.

Despite not setting personal goals, Almeida confesses that he would like to be on the final podium of the 'Grande Boucle'.

“But talking is easy, doing is another thing,” he pointed out.

*with Lusa Agency