Joao Almeida claimed consecutive stage victories to win the Tour de Suisse Team UAE rider Joao Almeida edged past overnight leader Kevin Vauquelin to win the Tour de Suisse after a superb closing time trial. Portugal's Almeida beat Austrian Felix Gall by 25 seconds and Frenchman Vauquelin, who finished the final stage fourth, by one minute and 40 seconds. "I think I started too fast," said Almeida after the closing 10.1km uphill time trial. "I overpaced in the beginning. In the end, I hoped to have enough gas to push in the last kilometre, but in the end it was not necessary. "It's a lesson: you should never give up. Sometimes things go wrong and nothing is perfect, but you need to keep trying. "We kept trying and we did it." Almeida backed up his stage victory on Saturday when he reduced Vauquelin's lead to 33 seconds. Another dominant display on Sunday handed Almeida a winning margin of one minute and seven seconds over Vauquelin in the overall standings. The 26-year-old, who lost last year's race by 22 seconds, will now set his sights on supporting team-mate Tadej Pogacar in the defence of his Tour de France title. "I'll have time to enjoy this win and I'll be ready for the Tour de France," Almeida said. "I'll support Tadej Pogacar there and hope we can get more great wins." Britain's Oscar Onley finished the final stage and the overall race in third. Joao Almeida (Por/Team UAE) 27mins 33secs Felix Gall (Aut/DecathlonâAG2R) +25secs Oscar Onley (GB/Picnic PostNL) +1min 12secs Kevin Vauquelin (Fra/ArkeaâB&B Hotels) +1min 40secs Harry Sweeny (Aus/EF Education-EasyPost) +1min 54secs Joao Almeida (Por/Team UAE) 29hrs 29mins 1secs Kevin Vauquelin (Fra/ArkeaâB&B Hotels) +1min 07secs Oscar Onley (GB/Picnic PostNL) +1min 58secs Felix Gall (Aut/DecathlonâAG2R) +2mins 20secs Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/Tudor Pro Cycling) +3mins 57secs
Portuguese rider Almeida wins Tour de Suisse
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"Joao Almeida Claims Victory at the Tour de Suisse"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
Joao Almeida of Team UAE secured victory in the Tour de Suisse after a remarkable final stage that showcased his time trial prowess. Almeida, who started the day trailing overnight leader Kevin Vauquelin, executed a strong performance in the 10.1km uphill time trial, finishing with a time of 27 minutes and 33 seconds. This effort allowed him to not only surpass Vauquelin but also to extend his lead significantly over the overall standings. Almeida's final time was one minute and seven seconds ahead of Vauquelin, who finished fourth in the stage. Almeida's win marks a significant turnaround from the previous year's race, where he narrowly lost by just 22 seconds, highlighting his growth and determination as a cyclist. After the race, Almeida reflected on his performance, admitting he may have started the time trial too aggressively but ultimately was pleased with the outcome and the lessons learned about perseverance and pacing.
Following his victory, Almeida expressed his excitement and readiness to support his teammate Tadej Pogacar in the upcoming Tour de France, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and shared goals within cycling. Almeida's win at the Tour de Suisse not only adds to his personal accolades but also boosts the morale of his team as they prepare for the challenges of the Tour de France. The podium for the Tour de Suisse saw Felix Gall from Austria finishing second, 25 seconds behind Almeida, while Britain's Oscar Onley secured third place overall, finishing 1 minute and 12 seconds off the lead. Almeida's performance in the Tour de Suisse demonstrates his potential as a strong contender in future races, particularly as he gears up to assist Pogacar in defending his title at the Tour de France, which is a significant event in the professional cycling calendar.
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