“If Almeida drops out, that’s a different story” – Could Almeida’s crash be a turning point for Vingegaard?

Stage 7 of the Tour de France was a bittersweet affair for UAE Team Emirates – XRG. Tadej Pogacar claimed victory on the Mur de Bretagne and pulled on the yellow jersey once again, but the team’s celebrations were muted after Joao Almeida was caught in a crash just 10 kilometers from the finish.

Almeida, a key mountain lieutenant for Pogacar, appeared to injure his wrist in the incident and was reportedly checked for a possible fracture. The Portuguese rider has already won three stage races this season and was shaping up to be a podium contender himself, even while riding in support of his leader. Undoubtedly, Pogacar will need him in the mountains, especially considering Vingegaard will be supported by Sepp Kuss, Matteo Jorgenson, and Giro winner Simon Yates.

Renaat Schotte and José De Cauwer, speaking to Sporza, emphasised the weight of the potential loss.

“Visma isn’t stronger than Pogacar’s team, but if Almeida drops out, that’s a different story,” Schotte said.

De Cauwer added, “He’s the last man who supports him in the mountains. That’s actually a stopgap measure. He was doing well in the general classification. He actually came here as a domestique.”

Almeida’s consistency and climbing strength have made him a crucial part of UAE’s Tour puzzle. With rivals like Jonas Vingegaard, Matteo Jorgenson, and Remco Evenepoel waiting to strike in the final week, losing Almeida could tilt the balance.

“You have Jorgenson, you have Vingegaard, you have Pogačar, you have Evenepoel, and maybe Almeida came along. He might not be there anymore, let’s hope so,” De Cauwer said.

He also pointed to Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s longer-term strategy, where we assume they are targeting the mountains in week three: “It’s the same story again. They want to tire Pogačar, not necessarily to win this stage… Everything is a plan for that last difficult week.”