'Fighter' João Almeida stays in Tour de France after heavy crash

João Almeida started stage 8 of the Tour de France despite the injuries he sustained in a crash ahead of the final climb of Mûr-de-Bretagne on Friday. 

His UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad stated on Friday evening that Almeida had suffered an “uncomplicated” rib fracture, though the rider himself expressed greater concern about an injury to his left hand.

There was confidence, however, that Almeida would be able to continue in the race, and the Portuguese rider duly set out with the peloton from Saint Méen le Grand on Saturday afternoon.

“He’s a fighter,” UAE Team Emirates-XRG sports manager Matxin Joxean Fernandez told Marca. “He has a broken rib, but it’s not a fracture that will impinge on his breathing. The doctor has given him the all-clear to start."

“Today should be a sprint, so we hope it can be a relatively calm day and allow him to recover as much as possible – even if at the Tour, the word ‘calm’ doesn’t really exist.”

Twelve months ago, Almeida combined his support of Tadej Pogačar with a fourth-place finish overall. His remarkable form this year has carried him to wins at Itzulia Basque Country, the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Suisse, and he began this Tour as a clear contender for a podium finish.

After conceding more than ten minutes after his fall on Friday, however, Almeida’s lone role for the remainder of the Tour will be as a deluxe domestique for Pogačar, who retook the yellow jersey with stage victory at Mûr-de-Bretagne. Almeida lies 28th overall at 12:21.

“Losing those minutes yesterday means that his own GC ambitions are gone, but he’s an important rider for the team, for Tadej,” Matxin said. “He’s been one of the best riders of the current season, along with Tadej, and it’s a real shame about the crash because he came in here with a really exceptional state of form.”

Matxin’s comments about Almeida’s combative qualities were echoed by general manager Mauro Gianetti. “João had a good night. Fortunately, he doesn't have any serious injuries or concussions,” Gianetti said, according to Wielerflits. “He was already smiling again at breakfast. He’s motivated, and he'll start. João is a fighter.”

UAE Team Emirates-XRG will defend Pogačar’s yellow jersey on the road to Laval on Saturday. The Slovenian already has a lead of 54 seconds over Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) and 1:17 over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike). 

At Mûr-de-Bretagne on Friday, Pogačar opted against attacking flat-out on the final climb, but he still won the stage in a reduced sprint against Vingegaard. Matxin conceded that saving energy for the battles to come was a consideration, even for Pogačar.

“We know that stage 10 on Monday is complicated, and we know the last week will be super complicated,” Matxin said. “We’re mindful that there’s a lot of Tour left.”