João Almeida

João Pedro Gonçalves Almeida (; born 5 August 1998) is a Portuguese professional cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam .

Almeida rose to prominence during the 2020 Giro d'Italia, his Grand Tour debut, where he held the race leader's pink jersey for two weeks. Almeida finished the race fourth overall, the best finish at the race for a Portuguese rider. Almeida finished third at the Giro in 2023, also winning a stage and the young rider classification, and has won four UCI WorldTour stage races: the 2021 Tour de Pologne, 2025 Tour of the Basque Country, 2025 Tour de Romandie and 2025 Tour de Suisse.

Career In August 2019, Almeida, then riding for , signed a 2-year contract with World Tour team for the 2020 season.

Deceuninck–Quick-Step (2020–2021)

2020 After a 2nd place finish in the Giro dell'Emilia, Almeida was named in the start list for the 2020 Giro d'Italia, his first ever participation in a Grand Tour. He wore the Giro's pink leader's jersey for 15 consecutive days, from stage 4 to stage 18, the longest ever by an under-23 rider. He eventually finished 4th overall in the general classification, the highest ever placing by a Portuguese rider.

2021

After a series of top-10 finishes in winter and early-spring stage races, Almeida's contract with was set to expire by the end of the year. Despite this, Almeida was again featured in the start list for the 2021 Giro d'Italia. After supporting Remco Evenepoel in the first 2 weeks, Almeida ended up finishing in the top-10 in the last 6 stages, placing 6th overall in the general classification.

In June, Almeida became Portuguese Time Trial Champion as an Elite rider. He later participated in the UEC European Road Championships and the Olympics.

In August, Almeida signed a 5-year contract with UAE Team Emirates to begin in 2022. Shortly after, he achieved his first stage-race general classification victories, in the Tour de Pologne and Tour de Luxembourg, also winning 3 stages and both the youth rider and points classification in the latter.

In the Autumn, Almeida finished 47th in the UCI Road World Championships Elite Road Race; 2nd in Giro dell'Emilia, losing to Primož Roglič by 3 seconds; and 3rd in Milano–Torino.

UAE Team Emirates (2022–) 2022

Almeida was in 4th place in the general classification at the Giro d'Italia when he was forced to abandon the race after stage 17 due to a positive test for COVID-19.

In June, Almeida won the Portuguese National Road Race Championships, and placed 3rd in the Time Trial. In September, he placed 5th overall in the Vuelta a España.

2023 Almeida placed 3rd overall in the Giro d'Italia, becoming the first Portuguese rider to reach the podium in a grand tour since Joaquim Agostinho's 3rd place finish in the 1979 Tour de France. Almeida also secured a victory in stage 16 and placed 1st in the young rider classification. For the second time, Almeida won the Portuguese National Time Trial Championships. In September, he placed 9th overall in the Vuelta a España.

2024 Almeida rode in the 2024 Tour de France in service of the general classification winner Tadej Pogačar, placing 4th overall and trailing 3rd place Remco Evenepoel by just under 10 minutes. He entered the 2024 Vuelta a España as Team UAE Emirates' main GC threat but was forced to withdraw before the start of stage 9 after contracting COVID-19, his second grand tour withdrawal due to the virus.

Major results

2014 National Cadet Road Championships 1st Road race 1st Time trial 2015 National Junior Road Championships 1st Road race 2st Time trial 2016 National Junior Road Championships 1st Road race 1st Time trial 2017 3rd Time trial, National Under-23 Road Championships 4th Overall Toscana-Terra di Ciclismo 1st Stage 2 4th Overall Tour of Ankara 8th Overall Tour of Mersin 1st Stage 3 9th Overall Tour of Ukraine 1st Young rider classification 1st Stage 4 2018 1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège Espoirs National Under-23 Road Championships 2nd Road race 2nd Time trial 2nd Overall Giro Ciclistico d'Italia 1st Young rider classification 5th Overall Ronde de l'Isard 1st Young rider classification 7th Overall Tour de l'Avenir 2019 National Under-23 Road Championships 1st Road race 1st Time trial 4th Overall Tour of Utah 1st Young rider classification 2020 2nd Giro dell'Emilia 3rd Overall Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali 1st Stage 1b (TTT) 3rd Overall Vuelta a Burgos 4th Overall Giro d'Italia Held & after Stages 3–17 7th Overall Tour de l'Ain 1st Young rider classification 9th Overall Volta ao Algarve 2021 (6 pro wins) 1st Time trial, National Road Championships 1st Overall Tour de Pologne 1st Sprints classification 1st Stages 2 & 4 1st Overall Tour de Luxembourg 1st Points classification 1st Young rider classification 1st Stage 1 2nd Giro dell'Emilia 3rd Overall UAE Tour 3rd Milano–Torino 6th Overall Giro d'Italia 6th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 7th Overall Volta a Catalunya 1st Young rider classification 10th Time trial, UEC European Road Championships 2022 (3) National Road Championships 1st Road race 3rd Time trial 2nd Overall Vuelta a Burgos 1st Stage 5 3rd Overall Volta a Catalunya 1st Stage 4 5th Overall Vuelta a España 5th Overall UAE Tour 8th Overall Paris–Nice 1st Young rider classification Giro d'Italia Held after Stages 14–17 Combativity award Stage 9 2023 (2) 1st Time trial, National Road Championships 2nd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 1st Young rider classification 2nd Overall Tour de Pologne 3rd Overall Giro d'Italia 1st Young rider classification 1st Stage 16 Combativity award Stage 16 3rd Overall Volta a Catalunya 6th Overall Volta ao Algarve 9th Overall Vuelta a España 9th Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana 2024 (2) 1st Stage 3 (TTT) Paris–Nice 2nd Overall Tour de Suisse 1st Stages 6 & 8 (ITT) 4th Overall Tour de France 9th Overall Volta a Catalunya 2025 (10) 1st Overall Tour de Suisse 1st Points classification 1st Stage 4, 7 & 8 (ITT) 1st Overall Tour of the Basque Country 1st Points classification 1st Stage 4 & 6 1st Overall Tour de Romandie 2nd Overall Vuelta a España 1st Stages 5 (TTT) & 13 2nd Overall Volta ao Algarve 2nd Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 6th Overall Paris–Nice 1st Stage 4 2026 2nd Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 3rd Overall Volta ao Algarve

General classification results timeline Grand Tour general classification results Grand Tour 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Giro d'Italia46 DNF3 — — — Tour de France — — — —4 DNF Vuelta a España — —59 DNF2 Major stage race general classification results Major stage race 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Paris–Nice — —8 — 116 — Tirreno–Adriatico —6 —2 — — — Volta a CatalunyaNH7339 — 38 Tour of the Basque Country — — — —1 — Tour de Romandie — — — —1 — Critérium du Dauphiné — — — — — — Tour de SuisseNH — — —21

Major championships results timeline

+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish DNS Did not start NH Not held