João Almeida has a return date; but UAE should not have him with Tadej Pogacar at the Tour de France: "We have a clear plan"

João Almeida has endured a difficult spring, riddled by a virus that wrecked his plans to achieve results and to participate in the Giro d'Italia. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider is now set to return to racing at the Tour Auverge - Rhône Alpes, but the Tour de France is likely.

“For now, he’ll be racing the Dauphiné, and we’ll see how his form is, his condition, and his recovery,” team manager Joxean Matxin shared with Domestique. “For now, we’re focusing on the Dauphiné. We have a clear plan, and we’ll see how his condition progresses and, above all, how his recovery progresses.”

Whilst he wasn't injured, the Portuguese ridder suffered from a viral infection that did not allow him to train or recover properly for a long period of time. His scheduled appearance at Paris-Nice was cancelled; and at the key Volta a Catalunya he was nowhere near his regular level.

He still intended on racing the Giro and travelled to altitude, but the decision was made in late April to withdraw from the race. Adam Yates took up the GC leader role, but he himself crashed out of the race in the first days.

With Yates and Marc Soler injured, there are gaps to fill in the Tour de France's lineup quite possibly. Almeida was set to race the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España, and seemingly the plan will remain the same despite the change of circumstances.

“For now, it’s just the Dauphiné, and then we’ll see how things go. We’ll see if we focus more on the Vuelta a España or on other stage races. Obviously, if we have any issues before the Tour, then it would be a possibility, but for now we have the team for the Tour in place," Matxin says, confirming he is not part of the Tour lineup for the time being. 0

"We have the planning for the Tour and the training for the Tour. We have a clear plan.”

Ñevertheless he will most likely be ready in case positions open, which is quite possible taking into consideration the list of injuries the team currently has, and the trend that has been marking its season with an extensive list of injuries.

“The riders’ situation has been complicated by many circumstances this season. We’ve had ten riders who’ve been injured this year on the WorldTour team and five on the Continental squad, so that has meant making a lot of changes".

This could drive Almeida to the Tour and to Tadej Pogacar, but it is not the set plan for the team. “We have to plan ahead for every race, and we always have two reserves as well. We know that, well, a lot can happen, but on paper right now, João is only going to the Dauphiné," he concluded.