Bicycles painted red on the asphalt, like arrows, point the way to one of the most famous streets in the quiet village of A-dos-Francos, in the municipality of Caldas da Rainha. In 2020, during the fifteen days that a resident was driving the Giro d’Italia, it was the stage of socializing to learn more about one of the Earthlings: Joao Almeida.
And in this narrow alley he greeted the corridor A BOLA and then inside the doors, where the parents booked a small museum for him, to talk about the new trends he is adopting today when introducing him in the UAE team, for which he signed for five seasons.
“Contrary to what they say, it was not for the money that I accepted the UAE team’s proposal. I’ve known Matxin Joxean Fernandez for a long time, the general manager who manages most of the team’s affairs, we’ve known each other since I was young. He gave me a good suggestion, with good goals and from the perspective of being a leader. I liked the conditions at the level of future goals. I think it’s a team that I will do well. He said that there are good people and there are also Portuguese runners.
João Almeida does not hide that the values are up to six annual figures. “It could be two or three million euros a year, but I don’t turn to the UAE team for the money. I received proposals that paid me more and they were good financially, but that was not my focus »
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