Joao Almeida focuses on Giro as UAE kicks off plan to discover new talent

The Giro will be his main target next season after being forced to withdraw from this year’s race against Covid-19, Emirates driver Joao Almeida said.

The Portuguese cyclist was firmly in the race for the general classification at the Grand Tour in May, wearing a white jersey to lead the young riders and take the podium, but news of his positive test meant he needed to be in the first place. Before withdrawing from the race before stage 18.

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Almeida’s spectacular tour ended in a heartbreaking end, but he is determined to chase glory when he returns to the Giro next year.

“I want to focus on the Giro again,” Almeida told National Over the weekend, he took part in the Adnoc accelerator program on Hudayriat Island in Abu Dhabi.

Almeida shared the team’s goals for next season, adding: “We will do everything we can to challenge every race we play as a team.

“We had a really good year, but I expected more from the Giro, unfortunately I have Covid, but the team doesn’t depend on me alone. Overall, I’ve learned a lot, achieved Got some good results.”

Despite the Giro setback, it was a successful season for Almeida, who won the Portuguese National Road Race, won the white jersey at Paris-Nice and boarded the Vuelta a Burgos and Volta a Catalunya on the podium, winning stages in both races.

Almeida attended the launch of the Adnoc Accelerator Program in the UAE, a training camp aimed at identifying and developing the next generation of UAE cycling talent.

The programme offers promising Emirati cyclists the opportunity to train under the tutelage of the Emirates Emirates Team’s high-performance coaching staff and compete with the two-time Tour de France-winning team.

Almeida said: “I love being part of the programme and being part of the UAE team. It is important to find new talent in the UAE because the future depends on young athletes.”

As the program progresses, the size of the group will be reduced to the top riders. These elite cyclists will then compete in a road race to Al Wathba with the UAE team’s UAE riders to determine who will emerge as the ultimate winner.

The winner will receive a one-year Emirates development programme, which includes access to Emirates coaches and nutritionists, and the opportunity to attend official training camps throughout 2023, starting with a 10-day winter break in Spain in December Camp begins.

“For me, it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time to find potential local cyclists and implement such programs with our support,” said Team Emirates coach Kevin Bolton.

“The program consists of a series of indoor and outdoor challenges to select the cyclists with the greatest potential. We are looking for the best riders, possibly two different riders who are the best climbers or the best sprinters , they are most likely to fall into both categories.”

“The winner of the program will get a personal trainer, a training camp to compete in, etc. It’s all about finding potential and getting them to ride outside of Europe and the US, and then bring that experience back home.

“If we find the right person, he will definitely think he has the potential to be in the Emirates squad.”

Emirati rider Youssef Mirza of the UAE team, the UAE’s leading UAE cyclist, said the programme is an opportunity to nurture talent and believes it can provide a platform to discover more talent in the country.

“When I first started cycling, we didn’t have programs and facilities like this,” he said. “I am delighted that our younger generation will benefit from this program and more opportunities and incentives to pursue as full-time racers.

“Since the establishment of the UAE Team UAE, the number of cycling in the Middle East has grown astonishingly.

“Three weeks ago, I was on Hudayriat Island and saw a bare field in front of the Abu Dhabi Cycling Club. When I took part in the project, I saw a new mountain bike trail in that place and that’s how fast it’s developing. “

Updated: October 23, 2022 9:07am