UAE Team Emirates will be heading to the Giro d'Italia with João Almeida on the helm, however with a lineup capable of fighting for several kinds of stages, as the team will also be eyeing the wins in Italy.
With a lot of the team's main figures pointing towards the Tour de France title defence, freedom has been given to João Almeida to headline the team at the Giro where he will be targeting the final podium: “This is a special race for me , I have great memories here and I’m excited to come back together with a great team looking for some good results together. The preparation for the Giro has gone really well. Since my last race I’ve been training at altitude in Sierra Nevada, Spain with some of my teammates and we have an excellent group assembled."
Although Almeida carries big ambitions, he will be supported in the mountains by a group of puncheurs. It's a team that shouldn't have an easy time in the passes, however in the hilly stages they should thrive. With Alessandro Covi, Diego Ulissi and Davide Formolo the team should also be capable of hunting stages in breakaways.
Team DS Fabio Baldato has added that the team will also be eyeing the sprints, as Fernando Gaviria returned to competition and will be joined by Max Richeze who will be doing the final race of his career. "Gaviria is also back from injury and is looking good again so we’ll have that card to play in the sprint stages," he said. "We have huge experience among our line-up and we are motivated for what we hope will be a beautiful race.”
Read also
In support of Almeida, Portuguese duo Rui Costa and Rui Oliveira complete the squad in support of the 23-year old.
UAE Team Emirates for Giro d'Italia: João Almeida, Alessandro Covi, Rui Costa, Davide Formolo, Fernando Gaviria, Rui Oliveira, Max Richeze and Diego Ulissi.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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We can't wait to get the first Grand Tour of the season! Here’s our line-up for #Giro d’Italia 🇮🇹: 🇵🇹 @JooAlmeida98 🇮🇹 @AlessandroCovi 🇵🇹 @RuiCostaCyclist 🇮🇹 @davideformolo 🇨🇴 @FndoGaviria 🇵🇹 @roliveira57 🇦🇷 @MaxRicheze 🇮🇹 @DiegoUlissi #UAETeamEmirates #WeAreUAE
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