"Almeida begged Pidcock to pull more" – Chris Horner analyses the UAE–Vingegaard battle at La Vuelta after Stage 9 controversy
Cycling
Jonas Vingegaard’s audacious victory on Stage 9 of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana left rivals reeling, but for former Grand Tour winner Chris Horner, the story of the day wasn’t just the Dane’s brilliance – it was João Almeida’s desperate, isolated chase and the tactical mess left behind by UAE Team Emirates - XRG.
“Almeida was yelling at Pidcock, asking if he had the balls to pull,” Horner said in his latest Butterfly Effect analysis. “That tells you everything about how much work he was left to do on his own.”
Read also
Jorgenson lights the fuse, Vingegaard detonates
With 13 km to go, Lidl–Trek had set a furious tempo through Mads Pedersen and Carlos Verona, but it was Jorgenson who truly ripped the race apart. His attack on the lower slopes forced an immediate response from Vingegaard, who latched on. Giulio Ciccone tried to follow but was left straining, and Almeida could not match the acceleration.
From there the script flipped. Instead of a cagey climb, Vingegaard took control. With 10 km left, he dropped Ciccone and went solo, carving out a lead that yo-yoed between 10 and 30 seconds. Behind, Almeida tried desperately to keep the gap close, riding like a man possessed. “The diesel engine was fully on,” Horner said. “But it was all Almeida. No one helped.”
Tom Pidcock and Felix Gall sat in the wheels while Almeida dragged them up the mountain. Only inside the final 7 km did Pidcock finally contribute, after Almeida shouted at him in frustration. “That moment summed it up,” Horner reflected. “Almeida begging Pidcock to pull, when he’d already done 80–90% of the work himself.”
Pidcock outsprinted Almeida to finish 2nd
As Almeida towed the chasers, Vingegaard powered ahead, his lead stretching to 32 seconds at the line. Behind, UAE’s weakness was laid bare. Soler came in further back, Ayuso was dropped before the climb even began, and Vine – the rider who should have been Almeida’s mountain lieutenant – had nothing left.
Horner was scathing: “How much energy did Vine’s stage win cost him? How much did Ayuso waste chasing his? If UAE had managed them better, Almeida wouldn’t have been alone against Vingegaard.”
The bigger picture
“The plan wasn’t for him to attack,” Horner noted of Vingegaard’s own post-stage comments. “He said his legs felt amazing, asked the team to light it up, and then he just went. If you’re the best climber in the world, you attack where it’s steepest. That’s what he did.”
Torstein Traeen (Bahrain - Victorious) clung onto red by half a minute, but the hierarchy is shifting. Vingegaard’s attack was not in the script, yet it confirmed what many already suspected – when he decides to go, no one can follow.
For UAE, the controversy will linger. Stage 9 exposed not just Almeida’s vulnerability but also a strategic failure. Horner’s verdict was blunt: “They were knuckleheads. Winning two stages early cost them when it really mattered.”
As the race heads into its second week, Vingegaard is on the march, Almeida is battling alone, and UAE’s early celebrations already look like a costly miscalculation.
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026 - Indeed! A reluctant gift maybe. Even more reluctant gift from Roglic! Tho I can’t see that Rog would have beaten Ving anyway.Lozza14-11-2026
- That really nasty crash in 2022 Liege must have played a big part - broken ribs, pneumothorax. You only have to look at his points tallies pre and post.Lozza14-11-2026
- Yeah, good luck getting tv and race organisers like ASO etc to part with their cash!Lozza14-11-2026
- 36 and Ineos have bought a rider on the downward slope. Bring back Dave and Rob who could manage the team. How are Ineos going to win a grand tour with people past their sell by date.paultryan200214-11-2026
- Mmmm would he be making these comments when he was on the richest team when riding. I think not i suspect. If we want money put into the sport we need sponsors who are prepared to put the money in. No disrespect but his team are 2nd or 3rd div in football terms with riders over the hill or 2nd string riders. If i was a sponsor i would be looking at what publicity am i getting back and Tudor really are just making up the numbers really.paultryan200214-11-2026
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment