GONCALO

The Hagens Berman Axeon Cycling Team continued its tradition of developing young riders from Portugal with the addition of Gonçalo Tavares to the 2023 roster. Gonçalo joined Axeon from the Bairrada Cycling Team.

“Gonçalo had previously been in the slipstream of Antonio (Morgado),” said sport director Koos Moerenhout. “Our program will give him the opportunity to see what type of rider he really is now that Antonio has moved up to the WorldTour and where Gonçalo can accelerate best. He shows good potential and is only 19 years old.”

“For sure the highlight of 2023 for me was winning the Portuguese National U23 Road title,” said Gonçalo. “Last year was a super important year for me to learn how to approach the races and how to ride inside of the U23 peloton. This year I’m looking forward to stepping up my climbing level and start having some results in international races.”

• Nickname: Tavares
• What's your spirit animal: horse
• Favorite post-race meal: pasta with pesto
• What doesn’t belong on pizza: chocolate
• Top of your bucket list: skydiving
• Most famous person in your cellphone: Axel Merckx
• What country would you like to visit: Japan
• Would you rather get paid $200,000 tomorrow or $500 per week for the rest of your life? $500 per week
• If a song played every time you walked into a room, what song would you choose and why: “Nada a esconder” from a Portuguese singer because it reminds me of someone very special.