“If neither of those two wins the Giro d'Italia it would be a surprise" - Joao Almeida happy to go under the radar as Thomas and Roglic grab the Giro d'Italia headlines
Cycling
Joao Almeida sits in fourth position in the general classification at the start of stage 15 of the Giro d'Italia. Just 22 seconds down on Geraint Thomas and 20 seconds off Primoz Roglic though, he is still very much in contention for the Maglia Rosa.
“I am indeed in a good position in the standings, but there are still some tough days ahead on the bike. But it sure looks good to me. Roglič and Thomas also look very strong," says the Portuguese prior to the start of today's stage. “If neither of those two wins the Giro d'Italia, it would be a surprise. Only, it might be my best chance of winning the Giro. I just have to keep fighting and keep my feet on the ground.”
The UAE Team Emirates leader has never before finished on the podium of a Grand Tour but is widely regarded as one of the most consistent riders in the peloton. With a gruelling third week ahead of them the general classification battle is sure to ignite at some point and when it does, the question remains whether Almeida will be able to take advantage of Jumbo-Visma and the INEOS Grenadiers concentrating on each other.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- A great champion but a better human. jus' sayin'
Davide15-11-2026 - Congrats! It is done so now is time for CX.averagecyclist15-11-2026
- It's going to happen at some point. It will happen to Tadej as well, we all get older. Jonas was in pretty great form at the tour. I still consider him a top two or three cyclist in the world, until he's not.awp15-11-2026
- mij, I am not so sure of that. I have been on a spine ward at a Denver hospital that had quite a few spinal injuries from mountain biking.BDBigGuy15-11-2026
- Pogi takes care of his teammates in races and training. Tadej Pogačar is widely praised within the cycling peloton for his fair and egalitarian leadership, actively supporting his UAE teammates both on the road during races and behind the scenes at training camps. Rather than acting like an untouchable superstar, he has intense team loyalty by sharing daily chores, giving up personal glory to help domestiques, and publicly praising their sacrifices. Unlike some Grand Tour contenders, like Vingegaard, who occasionally train away from their squads, Pogi consistently attends team training camps alongside his domestiques, making the exact same sacrifices to build friendship. I love how Pogačar shares his teammates-domestiques, either when they succeed or win in races or when they simply just do a good job for him. It has to be a great moral boost for them. And then they work even harder and go even deeper for Pogi. This is teamwork.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
- Yeah, what he said!Lozza15-11-2026
- I’m sure Jasper Philipsen would disagree with you.Lozza15-11-2026
- Article says he was “out for a spin around the town”, implying not off-road.Lozza15-11-2026
- let’s be honest, Alpecin is all about one rider - MVDP. I’m sure he gets whatever he needs, the rest get the scraps.mij15-11-2026
- there are more vicious injuries on a road bike than a mountain bike far and away.mij15-11-2026
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#Giro Ready to go🤍@JooAlmeida98 .#WeAreUAE
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