INTERVIEW | João Almeida confirms Tour-Vuelta for 2025 and ENTIRE calendar until Tour de France
Cycling
João Almeida spoke to CyclingUpToDate and has confirmed all the rumors about his 2025 calendar and more! The UAE Team Emirates rider will once again repeat the Tour de France and Vuelta a España combination, but has also revealed to us his full calendar for 2025!
Almeida has won in the World Tour in the past, winning the overall of the Tour de Pologne in 2021, but in 2024 he showed his strongest level - not winning the Tour de Suisse by a matter of seconds, and perhaps respect for Adam Yates who was leading the race. In 2025 we could see the A-do-Francos rider return to the top of the podium.
"I hope so, I'm going to work for it, I'm going to do my best, I hope to start the new season at a good level and to discuss the races," Almeida told us today in Benidorm where the team's main figures spoke to the media.
We learned that Juan Ayuso and Adam Yates will be doing the Giro d'Italia, as will Isaac Del Toro; and that Yates along with Almeida will be supporting Tadej Pogacar in the Tour de France in the summer. It was a winning formula this year, and the UAE wants to bet on the same strategy again.
"Yes, Tour and Vuelta. I really enjoyed doing this program this year, I get on well with the Tour and the different atmosphere, the heat instead of the Giro where it's colder. I'd like to do the Tour again and be alongside Tadej," he admits. This was revealed by Joxean Matxin hours earlier, but Almeida confirmed that this is the plan.
However, Almeida revealed that he hasn't just decided on the Grand Tours, but that his entire schedule until he reaches the Tour has already been thought out and decided (unless something dramatic happens). "The Volta a Comunitat Valenciana, then Figueira [Champions Classic] and [Volta ao] Algarve. Then Paris-Nice, [Itzulia] Basque Country, [Tour de] Romandie, [Tour de] Swisse and the Tour..."
So here's the list of races the Portuguese champion will face in 2025, giving him high hopes of a big win as he'll ride six stage races before reaching the Tour de France. After the Tour, he could be free to lead the team in the Vuelta, as planned this year.
Almeida also commented on the progress of his teammates and compatriots António Morgado, Rui and Ivo Oliveira. "Yes without a doubt, I think they've all been on the rise, the twins were very close to winning races this year and they've always been evolving, for me they don't get opportunities so regularly unfortunately, but I think as they evolve they'll get opportunities and the ability to win is there."
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We are incredibly proud to have been crowned UCI World Tour Best Team for the second time after achieving a total of 81 wins in 2024🙌
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) October 21, 2024
Congratulations to the entire team for an incredibly special season!🥇🏆🇦🇪#WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/cFzqRFrAQz