João Almeida (cyclist)

João Almeida
Almeida following the 2024 Tour de France
Personal information
Full nameJoão Pedro Gonçalves Almeida
NicknameA Pantera (The Panther)
Born (1998-08-05) 5 August 1998
A dos Francos - Caldas da Rainha, Portugal
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb)
Team information
Current teamUAE Team Emirates XRG
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeClimber
Amateur teams
2013Ecosprint–BTT Caldas
2014CC José Maria Nicolau
2015Sicasal–Liberty Seguros–Bombarralense
2016CC Bairrada
Professional teams
2017Unieuro Trevigiani–Hemus 1896
2018–2019Hagens Berman Axeon
2020–2021Deceuninck–Quick-Step
2022–UAE Team Emirates XRG
Major wins
Grand Tours
Giro d'Italia
Young rider classification (2023)
1 individual stage (2023)

Stage races

Tour of the Basque Country (2025)
Tour de Romandie (2025)
Tour de Pologne (2021)
Tour de Luxembourg (2021)

One-day races and Classics

National Road Race Championships (2022)
National Time Trial Championships (2021, 2023)

João Pedro Gonçalves Almeida (pronounced [ʒuˈɐ̃w alˈmɐjðɐ]; born 5 August 1998) is a Portuguese professional cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam UAE Team Emirates XRG.

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 three UCI WorldTour stage races: the 2021 Tour de Pologne, 2025 Tour of the Basque Country, and 2025 Tour de Romandie.