Almeida returns to racing at Dauphiné as Del Toro headlines UAE before Pogacar duty

In the French Alps, Del Toro is set to go up against French prodigy Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM), Juan Ayuso (Lidl Trek) and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike).

Alongside Almeida, he will be supported by Benoît Cosnefroy, Ivo Oliveira, Pavel Sivakov, Pablo Torres and Kevin Vermaerke.

“I’m excited,” Del Toro said on the website of the team. “It’s my first time at the race and I hope it will be the start of a beautiful summer of racing in France for me. Training has been going well, and things are going in the right direction.

“The level of racing will be high, no doubt, as a lot of the peloton are preparing for the Tour, but I think we are ready. It’s been a while now since my last race and I’m excited to pin a race number on again.”

The Mexican enjoyed an excellent start to the season, taking victories at the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico, before things went wrong on stage 3 of Itzulia Basque Country, where he crashed and had to abandon.

As a result of a tear to his right thigh muscle and several related abrasions, he was forced to miss the Ardennes Classics, meaning the Dauphiné will also mark his return to competition. It will be his final opportunity to chase personal success before he dedicates himself to supporting Tadej Pogačar in July, as the Slovenian targets a fifth Tour de France title.

UAE arrive at the race as defending champions, having won the Dauphiné for the first time in team history last season through Pogačar. The Slovenian took three stage victories on his way to the overall title.

João Almeida also returns to competition at the Dauphiné after being forced to miss the Giro d’Italia due to a viral infection.

So far, 2026 has not quite lived up to the standards Almeida set during a standout 2025 campaign, when he won Itzulia Basque Country, the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Suisse, as well as finishing second at the Vuelta a España. This season, his best result to date is third overall at the Volta ao Algarve, behind Juan Ayuso and Paul Seixas.

Almeida’s Giro absence might have raised the possibility of a late change to his programme, but UAE sports manager Matxin Joxean Fernández suggested during the race that a Tour de France rethink had not been on the table. The Portuguese rider finished fourth overall on his Tour debut in 2024, before crashing out during the opening week of last year’s edition.

“For now, he’ll be racing the Dauphiné, and we’ll see how his form is, his condition, and his recovery,” Matxin told Domestique at the Giro. “For now, we’re focusing on the Dauphiné. We have a clear plan, and we’ll see how his condition progresses and, above all, how his recovery progresses.”

Still, a Tour appearance does not appear completely impossible, particularly given the injury concerns UAE are currently dealing with. Speaking to RTV SLO, sports director Andrej Hauptman said the team would wait as long as possible before finalising its Tour de France line-up.

“We still have to wait and see how the recovery of some riders progresses, and we will wait until the last moment to choose those who are truly best prepared,” he said.