<br><div> <p data-end="463" data-start="204">João Almeida confirmed this Monday that he will return to the Tour of Italy, considering that the 2026 Giro represents “a good opportunity” to fight for victory and fulfill what he considers to be a major objective of his career: winning a grand Tour.</p> <p data-end="771" data-start="465">At a press conference held in Silves, in the Algarve, where he is undergoing internship during the month of January, the Portuguese cyclist explained the change in plans for the new season. Initially aimed at the Tour and the Vuelta, the UAE Emirates runner ended up convincing the team to invest in the Giro.</p> <p data-end="1051" data-start="773">«It makes sense to return to the Giro, also to change the calendar a little. It's a good opportunity to try to win the race", highlighted the Vuelta2025 runner-up, remembering third place in 2023 and fourth place in 2020, an edition in which he wore the pink jersey for 15 days.</p> <p data-end="1355" data-start="1053">João Almeida guarantees that he is not going to Italy with scores to settle, but with maximum ambition.</p> <p data-end="1355" data-start="1053">“Obviously we always like to win the races we don't win. I have a beautiful history with the Giro, but it's just another race. We are going with the aim of doing our best and coming out on top of the others», he stated.</p> <p data-end="1679" data-start="1357">Despite valuing the Giro in media terms, the 27-year-old cyclist from A-dos-Francos maintains the Vuelta as another major objective for 2026, assuming that winning either of the two would be «phenomenal». The Tour de France will be left out, after the fourth place achieved in 2024 and the fall that forced it to abandon in 2025.</p> <p data-end="1997" data-start="1681">Regarding the possible presence at the Giro of Jonas Vingegaard, the Dane who “took away” his victory in the last Vuelta, João Almeida seemed calm.</p> <p data-end="1997" data-start="1681">«It's a good thing. I will have a very strong opponent, but that also motivates me to give more than I can", he said, also highlighting the importance of his compatriot António Morgado, who will make his debut in major Tours in the Italian race.</p> <p data-end="1997" data-start="1681">«António can help me on all types of terrain. He's a very strong runner, still quite young, has a lot to learn, a lot of talent. I see him, in the future, discussing one-week races, but in the classics he is also very good, and perhaps it is the race that best suits him», praised João Almeida.</p> <p data-end="2354" data-start="1999">Before that, the best Portuguese volt player today will try to shine at home. João Almeida assumed that it would be “an honor” to win the 52nd Volta ao Algarve, a race that he considers the most important on the national calendar. Participation in Portugal will be limited to the Algarvia, between February 18th and 22nd, as it confirmed its absence in the Clássica da Figueira.</p> <p data-end="2354" data-start="1999">«Being Portuguese, being able to win the Volta ao Algarve would be an honor. Last year I was close, but I didn't make it. It is a race that I would like to win as it is the highest level Portuguese race. And I'm going to try to do it", he said.</p> <p data-end="2688" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="" data-start="2356">After a 2025 that he classified as “the best season” of his career, with second place in the Vuelta, a stage victory in Angliru and triumphs in the Tour of the Basque Country, Romandy and Switzerland, João Almeida is confident for 2026.</p> <p data-end="2688" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="" data-start="2356">«Winning a grand Tour continues to be a career objective. I will do my best to make this happen», he concluded.</p> </div>