No Joao Almeida in Paris-Nice after all? Portuguese rider missing from start list

A striking absence on the provisional start list released this morning by the Paris-Nice organizers (March 8 to 15) is the Portuguese rider Joao Almeida. He had previously announced his participation.

When Almeida revealed his race program in early December, it included not only the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España but also the Volta ao Algarve, Paris-Nice, and the Vuelta a Catalunya.

Almeida performed strongly in his home tour, finishing third. Everything seemed to be on track, but he is missing from the provisional Paris-Nice start list. The organizers have listed seven riders and two reserves per team on that list, and Almeida is not among them.

Now it remains to be confirmed by the team whether Almeida will indeed not start. Alongside Jonas Vingegaard and Juan Ayuso, he was one of the clear top favorites.