João Almeida is preparing to take his first steps towards the 2026 season next week, when he joins UAE Team Emirates - XRG for a pre-season training camp in southern Spain. The training camp will mark the official start of the Emirates team's work for the new year, in a decisive moment of physical assessment, adaptation to the training program and definition of routines for what is expected to be a demanding season.
Our colleagues from CiclismoAtual will be present at this training camp and will be following the team's preparation process closely, paying special attention to the Portuguese rider, who is once again one of the main references in the UAE Team Emirates - XRG sports project. For João Almeida, this initial phase will be decisive in laying the foundations for next season, after a year marked by regularity at the highest level in the main races on the international calendar.
Opening his season early in 2025, João Almeida was already one of the main protagonists of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and later the home race; Volta ao Algarve, where he finished second in the general classification, only beaten by Visma's Jonas Vingegaard.
It was a duel that continued throughout the season, with both men crossing paths again in the fight for victory in the Vuelta a Espana, in a clash that reinforced the Portuguese rider's status among the elite of general classification contenders.
Praise for Velo d'Or winner
While he waits for his competitive calendar for 2026 to be made official, João Almeida attended the Velo d'Or gala, where Tadej Pogacar was honored as the best rider of the season. On the sidelines of the event, the racer from A-dos-Francos spoke privately about his immediate plans, making it clear that he is still waiting for the team's final communication about his calendar.
"I don't know the calendar yet, but I suppose I'll do the Volta ao Algarve for sure. I think I'll also do the Figueira Classic. That's all for now," said João Almeida after the ceremony.
João Almeida celebrates victory in the 2025 Tour of Romandie with UAE staff
The Portuguese rider's presence at the two biggest races in the country is practically guaranteed, given the importance of the Volta ao Algarve holds as one of the opening races of the European calendar. For many, not just Almeida, it'll be an excellent opportunity to see where they match up against their rivals for the rest of they year.
The preparation for new season has been going well so far, the Portuguese confided: "The feelings are good. Obviously we're still at a preliminary stage. But it's already counting as a season for us, it's going well, without any bad luck, without getting sick, without any crashes. So everything is going wonderfully."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
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