João Almeida enters Vuelta a Espana cautious and with "my feet on the ground"

João Almeida will enter his second Grand Tour of the season in a leading role, as UAE Team Emirates will have once again a strong contender for the overall classification in the emerging Portuguese rider.

“Of course, I’m going to try GC as much as I can. I’ve not been with great, super legs. I don’t want to have the expectation of the podium or something," Almeida said in a press conference this afternoon in Utrecht. "I’m going to give everything I have, but I want to keep my feet on the ground".

“In the last months, I’ve not been feeling great, not feeling the best. My preparation was not ideal, as I wanted it to be,” he added. Despite these statements, Almeida showed very strong form in the Vuelta a Burgos where he won the queen stage and finished in third place in the overall classification. That leads to the idea that the Portuguese may be playing some bluff, trying to shift the pressure away from his shoulders.

At the Giro d'Italia he rode a strong and consistent race, sitting in fourth place when he abandoned in the final week with Covid-19. He's taken more than one win since, proving his comeback to form however. “I think it’s already in the past, I don’t have any symptoms. I stopped for quite a good time, form doesn’t come that fast. I feel recovered physically and mentally," he detailed.

“That’s a part of cycling, you cannot always feel good. In Burgos, I was still OK so maybe I will surprise during the Vuelta," he concluded. Almeida will have the support of Brandon McNulty and Juan Ayuso in the mountains, and the team will be hoping all three will reach their best level which would have them as one of the strongest mountain lineups.