The maglia rosa of the Giro d’Italia weighs 190g. But it can feel a lot heavier. When upcoming Portuguese rider João Almeida first pulled it on in 2020 he was just 21 years old. “It was, first of all, a big surprise to take the pink jersey,” says Almeida. “It was my first year as a pro in the WorldTour so it was super nice but I wasn’t really prepared for it so I had to grow and mature.”
Almeida had been tipped for greatness but he was in his first year in the WorldTour, having joined Deceuninck-Quick Step from development squad Hagens Berman Axeon that winter. He very nearly held the jersey until the end of the race, only losing it on stage 18.
“I grew a lot in those 21 days. I left the Giro a different person”
“Every day I was wearing the jersey, I felt like I would grow a little bit more because you need to deal with so
