Big blow for Pogacar: Joao Almeida abandons Tour de France

João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) has abandoned the Tour de France on stage 9 on Sunday after suffering from the impact of a crash he suffered on stage 7.

It marks a big blow for Tadej Pogačar and his team, as Almeida, who finished 4th in GC last year, would have been a key teammate in the mountains for the race leader. After making it through stage 8, the Portuguese climber appeared to be on the road to recovery and might still have played a role for the team in the later weeks. But that hope faded during stage 9.

João Almeida spoke to Portuguese media after confirming his withdrawal: "This is not how I imagined to finish this Tour. I leave sad and disappointed with what happened, I gave everything."

Despite pushing on for two more days, the pain from a fractured rib became too much to endure.

"There comes a time when you have to listen to your body. Now it's up to me to rest, heal the wounds and recover from the broken rib, and then think about the next objectives," the Portuguese key domestique said.

"I think I did a good job in this first week and I'm proud of what I achieved. I wish my teammates all the luck until the end; I know that we have real chances of winning the Tour, we have a strong team, although unfortunately I will no longer be able to be part of it."

A timeline for Almeida’s return to competition has not yet been confirmed.