BRILLIANT TT SPECIALIST. His fourth place in the 2017 World time trial championships, or the 8th spot at the 2019 Yorkshire ITT Worlds, are a proof of his splendid TT abilities. He’s also been a four-time national champion of Portugal; third in the 2016 Tour de France longest TT, behind Dumoulin and Froome; and 7th in the Rio Olympic Games. Always focused on supporting the team leaders, he doesn’t miss his chances to shine as an individual, both in TTs -3th in the 2020 La Vuelta (Ézaro), silver medalist in the 2019 European Games- and road races -runner-up overall in the 2021 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, where he also came close to a time trial stage victory-.
VUELTA STAGE WIN. Nelson came into the pro stage after great performances in the under-23 scene -bronze medalist in the Mendrisio ITT Worlds (2009), two medals at the European Champs in Turkey (2010)-, yet wasn’t able to show his real colours early into his career due to physical setbacks. In 2014, though, his ‘revenge’ came in La Vuelta, taking a spectacular win on stage 13 in Tarazona as he left behind a 30-strong breakaway with a strong, intelligent solo attack inside the final 25 kilometers.
MULTITASKER. He’s not only a world-class TT specialist: Oliveira also won the 2014 Portuguese road race Championships. His power on flat stages and resistance into the mountains -small hills and even big cols at times- have made him a coveted team player for the Grand Tours, which he has been part of fifteen times (6 Vueltas / 4 Tours / 3 Giros). He doesn’t do bad on one-day classics, either: he’s finished 12th in San Sebastián and twice within the top-20 of the Ronde van Vlaanderen.
