Movistar suddenly has a luxury problem with early winner Romeo, Almeida promises fireworks, Vacek hits a tree

João Almeida. Even at full strength, the 22-year-old Czech rider from Lidl-Trek would have had his hands full with the UAE Team Emirates leader, but his stage got off to a disastrous start. “It was a bit unlucky. I crashed after just a few kilometers, hitting my shoulder against a tree. From that moment on, I was in a lot of pain, but I wanted to keep going to at least fight for the stage and the leader’s jersey." Whether that was a wise decision is up for debate. “The pain was quite severe—I struggled to get out of the saddle and couldn’t put pressure on my handlebars. After a medical check, we’ll see what’s going on,” he told Eurosport after the stage. "I gave it everything, but after that crash, my race was pretty much over. When UAE pushed the pace on the climb, I just couldn’t follow. The whole team tried to bring me back, but the gap was too big. Now, I just hope it’s not a serious injury so I can keep racing."" target="_self">Stage 3 of the Tour of Valenciana was packed with drama—though some riders had a far better day than others. Mathias Vacek lost his leader’s jersey after an early crash, while Iván Romeo showcased his enormous potential with a stunning win for Movistar. Meanwhile, the battle for overall victory remains wide open. IDLProCycling.com brings you all the reactions.

First Vacek, who started the day in yellow, holding a two-second lead over João Almeida. Even at full strength, the 22-year-old Czech rider from Lidl-Trek would have had his hands full with the UAE Team Emirates leader, but his stage got off to a disastrous start. “It was a bit unlucky. I crashed after just a few kilometers, hitting my right shoulder against a tree. From that moment on, I was in a lot of pain, but I wanted to continue to at least battle for the stage and the jersey."

Whether that was a wise decision is up for debate. “The pain was quite a lot—I couldn't really stand up from the saddle and couldn’t put pressure on my handlebars. After a medical check, we’ll see what’ happens,” he told Eurosport after the stage. "I gave it all today, but after that crash, my race was pretty much over. When UAE put the pressure on the climb, I just couldn’t follow. The whole team tried to bring me back, but the gap was too big. Now, I just hope it’s not a big injury so I can keep racing."

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Almeida expects a battle of seconds against Buitrago

With the loss (literally and figuratively) of Vacek, the battle for the leader's jersey opened up between Almeida and Santiago Buitrago of Bahrain Victorious. That turned into a frantic battle, with UAE pushing the throttle full on. "There were not really very tough climbs in it, so we gave everything we had in us, with my teammates being great as always. We managed to win the intermediate sprint to take a second on Santiago, but at the finish it was the other way around."

In total, Buitrago grabbed eight bonus seconds during the stage, while Almeida picked up seven. After three days of racing, the gap between them stands at just two seconds. "It’s going to stay tight until the final day, I suspect. We played it perfectly and got the most out of our performance. One single bonus sprint could drop me to second place, so I need to focus on every second we can get. Hopefully, I can finish the job on Sunday."

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Romeo and Romo make Movistar shine

Movistar may have been the biggest winners of the day as Iván Romeo secured victory in Stage 3 of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, delivering the Spanish team its third win of 2025. Javier Romo (without E, that is) was already the best in the Tour Down Under and Jefferson Cepeda became Ecuadorian champion in the time trial. So, saying that Movistar has struck gold with Romo and Romeo would be an understatement.

"I already said this morning that today is a good day for me, but you never know," Romeo laughed in the post-race interview. "The final climb was harder than expected—I think only twelve or thirteen guys on the top. We had three guys up there. Everything is easier that way. I looked for my moment and played my card. I won—I still can’t believe it!"

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Javier Romo at the Tour Down Under

If Romeo did not win, Castrillo (perhaps) would have

Romeo continued his analysis: "I knew that after the climb, that flat part, there would be an up-and-down section—that is super good for me, and also for Pablo Castrillo. It was a bit the plan to attack, either him or me. I attacked first and I was stronger than I thought, so I could make it. If not, Pablo would have attacked instead. The team was just very good today."

The big question now is: what more can we expect from the 21-year-old U23 world champion this year? "My goal this year was to get my first pro win, and I can say that goal is accomplished now. I don’t know… I’m just going to enjoy this first. Then I’ll go for the next goals, like time trials and maybe some general classifications as well."

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