"I haven’t been feeling very good on the bike" - João Almeida limits expectations in first key Vuelta a Espana stage

João Almeida is a popular rider and has been able to start a Grand Tour in his home country of Portugal where fans swarmed him in all places. Now the race enters it's key phase with a high mountain battle predicted today for Pico Villuercas but the UAE Team Emirates rider did not have the best feelings on the bike over the past few days.

The race has moved on to Spain now, but Almeida was the absolute superstar in the first three days of the race in his home country. “I have a positive assessment. A very good time trial, in which I was very happy with the result and the effort itself, and then now two days with phenomenal support," he told O Jogo after the finale in Castelo Branco. "I really have no words. It was incredible and it has always been incredible.”

The initial time-trial was good for the rider who finished fourth at the Tour de France and began the Vuelta as a contender for the final victory. He still is, naturally, like many he said he would wait for today's stage to access ambitions for the rest of the race. “I don’t have many prospects for tomorrow (today's stage 4, ed.). I’m going to do my best to try to get the best possible position". UAE will certainly support him and Adam Yates the most, but do have plenty riders capable of finishing well positioned atop Pico Villuercas.

The Portuguese however admits he hasn't felt at his best on the bike over these two sprint stages. "The feeling hasn’t been the best," he continues, not the best of words heading into a finale that features 3 kilometers at 13% and where differences are certain among the GC riders.

"I haven’t been feeling very good on the bike, but hey, tomorrow is another day, and I’ll certainly leave everything on the road, and we’ll see what the final result will be. But hey, whether it’s good or bad, I’ll give it my all, and cycling has these things too, doesn’t it? It’s always a bit unpredictable sometimes," he concludes.