'No one is unbeatable' - Almeida motivated to close gap to Vingegaard ahead of Giro showdown

The Giro d'Italia was João Almeida’s breakthrough race from a Grand Tour perspective in 2020. The Portuguese rider wore the maglia rosa for 15 stages before eventually finishing fourth, a performance all the more impressive given that it was his Grand Tour debut. 

Since then, Almeida has established himself as one of the very best general classification riders, finishing third at the Giro in 2023 and fourth at the Tour de France in 2024 in support of Tadej Pogačar. He backed this up by finishing runner-up at the Vuelta a España last September, posing the biggest challenge to Vingegaard, who claimed the third Grand Tour victory of his career. Almeida is set to return to the Spanish Grand Tour, but first will have an appointment with the Dane in Italy in May.

Speaking to Portuguese media ahead of the news season, Almedia outlined his ultimate ambition to win a Grand Tour and his belief that the Giro-Vuelta combination suits him.

“Winning a Grand Tour is a career goal, and I'll do my best to make it happen. In 2026, the Giro d'Italia is the first big focus,” Almeida said, according to Portuguese Cycling Magazine. “Initially, the plan was to do the Tour-Vuelta, but after discussing it with the team, we came to the conclusion that I could do the Giro.”

After pushing Vingegaard all the way at the Vuelta, most notably when he won on the Angliru, Almeida eventually finished 1:16 behind the Dane in Madrid, and is motivated to continue to close the gap at the Giro.

“It's a good opportunity to win the race, and if I don't win, to be as close as possible,” said Almeida, who was asked about the prospect of the battle against Vingegaard. “It was already expected that he [Vingegaard] would be there. I will have a very strong opponent, but that ends up motivating me… no one is unbeatable, and the Giro is a more open race.”

With the Giro and Vuelta on the menu, there’s no room for a Tour return after abandoning the race in 2025 due to the impacts of a crash in the opening week. However, Almeida is looking forward to a different challenge and modestly believes his absence won’t be felt by Tadej Pogačar too significantly, with the Slovenian chasing a record-equalling fifth yellow jersey.

“I've done it two years in a row. The Tour is the Tour, but it's also good to change the calendar,” said Almeida. “I don't even know if there was a reaction [from Pogačar]. I believe he was slightly sad, but I don't think I'm essential for him to win a Tour.”

Almeida is set to be flanked by a strong team, including key support from former Tour podium finisher Adam Yates, and recently crowned Tour Down Under winner Jay Vine, who has suffered a fractured wrist from a crash in the race.

The 109th Giro d’Italia kicks off in Nessebar, Bulgaria, on May 8, and will conclude in Rome, Italy, on May 31.