He then spent several weeks training at high altitude with his team to prepare and achieve a specific training plan for the Tour de France. He will make his Tour de France debut and work towards the team’s and Tadej Pogacar’s main goals for the season. He went straight from his high-altitude camp to the Tour de Suisse, where he showed great fitness and, together with teammate Adam Yates, dominated the Helvesian race from start to finish, showing overwhelming strength and outpacing his direct rivals. didn’t give it a chance.
In Switzerland, Joao Almeida won two stages and finished second overall behind teammate Adam Yates. João Almeida ultimately won the time trial, but only closed the gap to Yates by nine seconds, finishing the race in second place in the general division, 22 seconds behind the Brit.
In the Tour de France with Tadej Pogačar as leader, João Almeida proved to be a loyal domestic to the Slovenian, giving his all for the leader during the three weeks of racing. However, in the fourth stage of the race between Pinerolo and Valloire, he was one of the riders who did a strong job for Pogačar which later made the difference.
There, Almeida gestured to Ayuso to show his dissatisfaction, and Pogačar turned around to see where his teammate was. Yates had to work to get his team’s plans back on track, while Pogačar attacked for a stage win. In the end, Ayuso, who was at the back of the group and could not contribute anything to the team, finished 3rd in the stage. In the aftermath of the stage, Yates did not hold back on the Spanish rider’s dedication, saying: “I had to go to work early because someone wasn’t in his position”, contradicting Josean Matosin’s statement did. at that time.
Although João Almeida did not win a stage in the Tour de France, he completed seven stages in the top 10 and took 4th place in the final overall standings in Nice. Regardless of the final result, the Grand Boucle debut race left a very good impression. This was followed by rest and high-altitude training to lead the UAE team in the Vuelta a España.
Joao Almeida led UAE in Vuelta a España
Anticipation is at an all-time high, with Almeida the favorite to win in Madrid, further boosted by the fact that the Gran Salida race was held in the city of Lisbon. Although Almeida started the Vuelta with a solid time trial and finished 10th in the individual race, the only man considered to be the favorite to win in the general division was Primoš Roglič ahead of him. There was only one person, 3 seconds difference.
The first big test of the Vuelta begins on the fourth stage with the ascent of Pico Vilherkas. João Almeida arrived with the main group and finished the day in third place. On the sixth day of the race, UAE Team Emirates, like all their rivals, was surprised by Ben O’Connor’s attack, winning the stage and leading the race by a considerable margin over their direct rivals. There was a lot to do, but Madrid was still a long way off.
However, his race ended after three days. During the stages leading up to the summit of Cazorla, João was often at the back of the peloton. Something went wrong and on the final climb he was one of the first to break out of the peloton. He reached the finish line 4 minutes and 53 seconds behind stage winner Primoš Roglič. News that no one wanted to read or hear was dropped like a bomb. João Almeida would not start the ninth stage due to the coronavirus infection. The dream of competing for victory in a Grand Tour is over.
After recovering from his illness, Joao Almeida returned to training towards the end of the season and was called up to coach Portugal at the World Championships in Zurich. Among the top time trialists, the Caldas da Rainha native took advantage of the opportunity to put in some decent individual effort for someone who has been away from racing for more than a month. All hopes were pinned on a good result in the road race, but unfortunately a crash cost him another good chance in a race with a good result.
This is Joao Almeida’s third season with UAE team Emirates. A different season in terms of the calendar, he was unable to defend his third place at the 2023 Giro d’Italia and second place at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour de Pologne. The season covered 8,722km during the 57-day competition period. Throughout 2024, he earned 2,144.57 UCI points, won three stages, and finished 2nd in the general category, 2nd in points, 3rd in mountain, and a surprising 4th place in the Tour de Suisse. obtained. 1st place in his first Tour de France appearance.
