The 2024 Vuelta a Espana leaves Portugal and there is no doubt that João Almeida is one of the big favourites to take the Red Jersey by the time the race concludes in Madrid on September 8th.
Our Spanish language sister channel, Ciclismoaldia have been diving deep into their analysis of the final Grand Tour of the campaign and in this article, they give 3 reasons why we think the Portuguese climber is the leading contender to finish on top step of the podium.
1. He was the best of the mortals at the Tour de France
At the 2024 Tour de France, the Portuguese of UAE Team Emirates finished fourth only behind the Big Three of the current Grand Tour cycling world: his teammate Tadej Pogacar, two-time Maillot Jaune winner Jonas Vingegaard and the double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel.
Although he worked hard in support of his leader, Almeida had the strength to limit his losses after Pogacar's inevitable attack finally came and proved the best of the rest behind the podium, finishing in 4th overall.
2. He has the best team to support him
There is no doubt that UAE Team Emirates brings with them the best team to this Vuelta a Espana. Not only because it is the only one that has two riders who can win the race: Almeida and Adam Yates, but because almost all the "domestiqueas" are cyclists of great quality, that in other teams would fight for GC themselves.
In the mountains, men like Marc Soler, Brandon McNulty, Jay Vine and Pavel Sivakov have more than proved to be very reliable men capable of being with their leaders in the most complicated moments. The team is completed by the young talents Isaac del Toro (we know what he is capable of, although he is facing his first 3 week race) and Filippo Baroncini (third in the last Italian time trial championships).
3. Form of rivals are something of a question mark
Arguably Almeida's closest rival is teammate Adam Yates. At the 2024 Tour de Suisse, the pair worked in tandem, winning multiple stages and finishing one-two in the general classification.
Multiple Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic, comes into this edition short of form after his abandon at the Tour de France, so it is difficult to say that the Slovenian will be better than Almeida. He has beaten the rest of his rivals recently though, and the time trials favour him against Spaniards Mikel Landa, Enric Mas or Carlos Rodriguez. Also against defending champion Sepp Kuss.
Let us know in the comments if you agree or if you consider that another rider is for you the favourite to win the Vuelta a Espana 2024 over Almeida!
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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LET’S GO. VAMOS 🇪🇸🔥 #LaVuelta24 #UAETeamEmirates #WeAreUAE
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