Almeida sets sights on Vuelta leadership role after Tour de France

After two weeks of the Tour de France, the cards seem to be fairly well shuffled. Tadej Pogacar is increasing his lead over arch-rival Jonas Vingegaard with each mountain stage. Domestique João Almeida watches it unfold before his eyes and contemplates the Danish rider's attack on Plateau de Beille.

In conversation with Marca, Almeida discusses his experience during Sunday's mountain stage. "It was very tough. The pace was very high, especially from Pogacar and Vingegaard. I finished fifth but almost five minutes behind," laughs the Portuguese rider from UAE Team Emirates. "I tried to help Tadej as much as possible." However, he admits it didn't work out quite well in the end; due to Team Visma | Lease a Bike's pace, he struggled early on the final climb.

Visma's leader Vingegaard launched an attack with ten kilometers to go. Pogacar easily followed and then surged ahead five kilometers later. Almeida believes Vingegaard may have been a bit overconfident in his aggressive racing style. "I think he had too much confidence, especially after winning a stage," referring to the stage to Le Lioran. "Whether he attacked or not, I think Tadej would have won anyway; he was simply too strong."

Almeida: "Pogacar is one of the greatest in cycling history"

After two weeks of racing, Almeida is fourth in the standings, almost eleven minutes behind his team leader. Not a bad position at all, but the 25-year-old Portuguese realizes that reaching the podium will likely be challenging. "I am currently far from the podium, so I think it's going to be a tough story," he said. Third-place rider Remco Evenepoel is over five minutes ahead of Almeida in the general classification. "The podium is also not my goal," he continued. "We want to win the Tour and bring the yellow jersey to Nice."

Almeida will do everything in his power to support his team leader in the yellow jersey. He feels honored to be able to assist Pogacar. "It's very special: he is one of the greatest and most important riders in cycling history. Being part of this is something I find very special." Alongside Adam Yates, Almeida is set to be Pogacar's last man. Juan Ayuso was also supposed to be one of the key helpers, but he had to abandon the race in the thirteenth stage.

During the mountain stage to Valloire, Ayuso and Almeida had a bit of a disagreement on the slopes of the Galibier. Almeida is clear: it's water under the bridge. "It's normal. We had a plan, but it didn't go exactly as expected. That can happen." They had already talked it over after the race. "We always have a briefing to see how everything went. It's important to communicate in these situations."

Almeida co-leader in Vuelta (in own country)

After the Tour de France, all eyes at UAE Team Emirates will also be on the Vuelta a España. As it stands now, Pogacar will not be at the start. This offers opportunities for Almeida. "I will be a team leader, along with Yates. The plan is for us to go together. We will need to recover from the Tour, but I think I will be fresh at the start," he said. For Almeida, the Vuelta is particularly special: it begins with an individual time trial in Lisbon.

For teammate Ayuso, the Vuelta may come a little too soon. In any case, the Spaniard has dropped out of the Olympic time trial, where Oier Lazkano will replace him. Whether Ayuso will ride the road race is still uncertain: it is scheduled a week later. The 21-year-old Spaniard will decide later on a participation and a possible starting spot in his home round.