João Almeida echoes Pogacar - 'We are always closer to retirement'
João Almeida returns to the Vuelta a España for the fourth year in a row. On Saturday, he will line up in Turin as co-leader of UAE Team Emirates alongside Juan Ayuso, chasing the red jersey in a race that marks its 80th edition. In an interview with A Bola, he looked ahead to the challenge in Spain, while also reflecting on his future in the sport.
The Portuguese rider arrives with mixed feelings. In the spring, he collected stage race victories in the Basque Country, Romandie and Switzerland, but his Tour de France ended with a heavy crash and a fractured rib.
Ten days without a bike left his preparation for Spain shorter than he wanted. “It’s like this, it’s more or less the same thing. Unfortunately, I had to abandon the Tour because of the crash, which limited my preparation a lot for the Vuelta. In the end, I trained only two weeks, a little more, at one hundred percent, without limitations. Even so, I believe I am at a reasonably good physical level. Given this, I will give my best, and see how I finish,” he told A Bola.
He admits he is not yet at his very best. “I would say, maybe ninety and a bit percent. The form is good, but I don’t feel, let’s say, at my very best. However, it’s three weeks, we have time to feel one hundred percent, right? Because it’s a very long race and we also end up training and evolving during the competition, day by day, week by week.”
Leadership will be shared with Juan Ayuso, a balance Almeida is comfortable with. “We had some small clashes in the past, but things are always resolved in the moment, and everything is settled. In general, we get along and we go with the objective of having success as a team. If we can play with two cards to tire our rival, I believe it will be a big advantage.”
That rival will almost certainly be Jonas Vingegaard, backed by the might of Visma-Lease a Bike. For many, such a challenge would feel daunting. Almeida prefers to see it differently. “Yes, he brings a very strong team for all terrains. Everyone was already expecting that. But I believe it ends up favouring me. With a strong team, they will want to take control of the race and make it hard, and I think that is something that favours me. On the other hand, we bring an equally strong team, or almost as strong as theirs. Our team has riders who trust me and know my value. Therefore, I believe that the presence of Vingegaard and of a very strong Visma only helps me and makes the race harder, and a little more controlled as well. I will certainly be very well accompanied on all the days.”
Beyond the battles of this year’s Vuelta, Almeida also knows where his long-term future lies. Earlier this summer, he renewed his contract with UAE until 2028, a commitment that reflects his comfort within the team. “This is where I want to be. The most important thing is to feel good where I am, and I consider that I must continue in this team and continue to evolve here. Things have gone very well, so that’s it… we go for some more years.”
And yet, when asked about the demands of the sport, Almeida sounded closer to his teammate Tadej Pogačar than to a man focused only on the road ahead. “It’s a big effort, many sacrifices. It is natural to have this psychological fatigue. We started very early and over the years we are always closer to retirement, although we don’t know when it will come. Normally riders have an idea of when they intend to retire, but then they always end up changing it and keep delaying, delaying, delaying the years in which they will retire. It’s a life we like. Whoever is in this is because they really like it, has a passion for cycling, and it feels good to make this our life. Sometimes it’s difficult to leave this world.”
Retirement can wait. For now, there are mountains to climb, rivals to measure and a race to endure. Almeida’s own words say the rest: “I will fight at the Vuelta without fear.”
