"He’s one of the aliens of this generation" - João Almeida names Jonas Vingegaard as the man to beat at La Vuelta 2025

Portuguese cyclist João Almeida makes no secret of his ambition heading into the 80th edition of the Vuelta a Espana: the podium is the minimum target, with a stage win also firmly in his sights.

Having recovered from the rib fracture he suffered during the Tour de France, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider assures that he will line up at the start in Turin with renewed confidence. “Given the circumstances, I’m aiming for the podium, without a doubt. Anything less and I wouldn’t be satisfied. Aspiring to overall victory might not be entirely realistic, especially with someone like Jonas Vingegaard in the race. But if I make the podium, I’ll be happy – and of course, I’ll always try to reach the top step,” he told news agency Lusa.

His return to competition comes just over a month after he was forced to abandon the Tour, on stage nine, two days after the crash that fractured a rib. Even so, Almeida sees himself as one of the main contenders for the overall win. “Statistically speaking, I’m one of the strongest riders, among the top numbers. But my situation is a bit unique. I had the crash, then spent some time off the bike, without even touching it. So I’m not coming into this with ideal preparation – far from it. But I know my worth, I know I’m a good rider, and I believe I’ll be in good shape,” he emphasised.

The Portuguese rider says he’s been “fully recovered” for “basically two weeks”, and is heading into the race “pain-free and without limitations”. “My fracture was uncomplicated, so there wasn’t much to be done – just rest and recover as much as possible to get back to full fitness quickly,” he explained.

During his recovery, Almeida spent 10 days completely off the bike before returning to training with full focus on preparing for the Vuelta. “I can’t really enjoy myself or take it easy. It’s full focus on training. Time is limited, so the little time I had to prepare had to be used to the maximum. It was a race against the clock,” he described.

Almeida has already claimed three stage race victories in 2025: the Tour of the Basque Country, the Tour de Romandie, and the Tour de Suisse.

In his comeback process, Portugal’s leading Grand Tour rider stuck to his usual disciplined approach: training to the limit to get as close as possible to peak condition. “It’s already been a long season, with a lot of racing. We’ve got a lot of kilometres in the legs this year, so there’s not much more to be done at this point,” he noted, adding that, although the break had an impact, he believes he’ll “start well” and “grow day by day”.

This year’s Vuelta, which starts this Saturday in Turin and finishes on 14 September in Madrid, offers the 27-year-old another chance to secure his first stage win in the Spanish Grand Tour, where he finished fourth in 2022. “I’ve done several Vueltas, all with terrible preparation. Nothing ever seems to go right for me beforehand. I always start the Vuelta feeling off and not in form. I think, in reality, this is the year I’ve prepared best for it. I’d love to win a stage – and I think I can – it’s just about targeting the right one,” he said, revealing a preference for the Angliru, which hosts the finish of stage 13, even though he insists he’s “not picky”.

A stage winner at the 2023 Giro d’Italia – where he also finished on the final podium – Almeida admits that completing the hat-trick of Grand Tour victories is a goal he would love to achieve.

After finishing fourth in the 2024 Tour de France, Almeida doesn’t hesitate in naming his main rival for the Vuelta: Jonas Vingegaard. “He was runner-up at the Tour and he’s always there when it comes to Grand Tours. He’s one of the aliens of this generation, so I think he’s the one to watch – there’s no point naming many others,” he said of the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider, who also finished second in last year’s Vuelta.

Despite the physical toll of the Tour, Almeida believes the Dane will be in top form. “I’ve had a heavy calendar, with a lot of racing days. So I haven’t had much training time – it’s just been race after race. That builds a kind of fatigue you can’t really manage. In his case, he races very little, so he’s always fresher and can control his training and recovery better,” he observed.

After withdrawing from his last few Grand Tours, including the 2024 Vuelta due to Covid-19, the Portuguese rider is hoping to change the narrative this time around. “I think it’s time to put an end to this run of bad luck,” he concluded.