Adam Yates leads UAE at Giro in Almeida's absence - 'We still have big ambitions'

Last year, Isaac del Toro led the Giro for UAE from stage 9 until stage 20. However, Adam Yates’ brother Simon Yates produced a spectacular ride on the penultimate stage to strip the pink jersey from the shoulders of the young Mexican debutant.

In April, it was confirmed that João Almeida was ruled out of the Giro due to experiencing setbacks in his recovery from a viral infection. The Portuguese rider had been expected to lead the Emirati team against Jonas Vingegaard, having finished second to him at the Vuelta a España last September. 

With Almeida absent, Yates will lead the UAE Team, fresh off winning O Gran Camiño in mid-April. Yates has raced the Giro twice previously, finishing 9th in 2017 before taking 12th last year while riding in support of Del Toro.

“I’m pretty happy with how my preparation for the Giro has gone. The win in O Gran Camiño was a good tester and I’ve had a solid block with the team in Sierra Nevada, so I think as a group we’re ready,” said Yates in an official statement. 

“Not having João Almeida will change our strategy slightly, but we still have big ambitions and still want to go for results. Personally, I feel like the shape is good and if things go our way we can have a good crack at the GC and animate the race.”

Jay Vine will line up for his third Giro, having not raced since crashing out of the Volta a Catalunya. The 30-year-old Australian won the Santos Tour Down Under at the start of the season, and in his last Grand Tour, last season’s Vuelta, won two individual stages and the mountains classification.

Marc Soler was also a stage winner at the Vuelta last year in what was his sixteenth Grand Tour. However, the Spanish rider will ride the Giro for just the second time, having made his debut at the race in 2021.

Jhonatan Narváez will race for the first time since crashing out on stage 4 of the Santos Tour Down Under in January. The Ecuadorian champion is a two-time former stage winner at the Giro, with his most recent win coming on the opening stage in 2024, giving him the maglia rosa in the process. 

Jan Christen and António Morgado will both make their Grand Tour debuts in Italy. Christen last raced at Milan-Sanremo in March, where he crashed and was forced to abandon, but has enjoyed stage race success this season, winning the AlUla Tour. Meanwhile, Morgado last raced at Paris-Roubaix in April. 

Meanwhile, Igor Arrieta will ride the Giro for the second year running, most recently finishing a solid eighth at Izulia Basque Country. The squad is rounded out by Mikkel Bjerg, who arrives having raced a busy Classics campaign.