Joao Almeida leads UAE's strike team at Itzulia Basque Country: "It's not the ideal route for me, but I'll give it everything I've got"
CyclingThursday, 03 April 2025 at 23:00
On the eve of his debut in the Itzulia Basque Country, João Almeida showed his motivation and confidence in the collective strength of UAE Team Emirates - XRG, recognizing the unique challenge of the Basque race - one of the toughest on the World Tour calendar.
"We're going to the Basque Country with a very strong team. It will be my first time in this race, so I'm excited about the challenge," said the Portuguese rider on his team's official website. "The passion for cycling in that region is something special. The fans support all the cyclists with great intensity."
João Almeida acknowledges that the course, known for its short, explosive and technical climbs, is not the most favorable for his characteristics, but he guarantees total dedication. "It's a race famous for its toughness. The course isn't ideal for me, but I'll give it my best shot. We have a team with lots of options, and that's always an advantage."
The Portuguese rider arrives in the Basque Country in high spirits after winning stage 7 of Paris-Nice, where he put in an authoritative display in the mountains. "It was a particularly sweet victory, and I'm very pleased to have been able to win this stage. Now we'll try to repeat that level of success at 'La Itzulia'."
UAE Team Emirates - XRG for Itzulia Basque Country 2025:
João Almeida
Felix Großschartner
João Almeida raises his arms after winning the 7th stage of Paris-Nice 2025
However, the first race on Spanish soil will be the GP Miguel Indurain, a one-day race taking place this Saturday, April 5, which usually provides a competitive and unpredictable spectacle. With a finish marked by a succession of explosive climbs, the GP Miguel Induráin is known for tearing the peloton apart and quickly turning into a survival race, with the strongest riders standing out before the final descent into Estella. Last year, it was Brandon McNulty who won the race and this year the UAE is going with a strong bloc capable of reclaiming the title in 2025.
UAE Team Emirates - XRG for the 2025 GP Miguel Indurain:
Igor Arrieta
Isaac del Toro
Felix Großschartner
Vegard Stake Laengen
Brandon McNulty
Marc Soler
Pablo Torres
Read also
We have announced our teams for the @GPIndurainSN and @ehitzulia ⛰️🇪🇸
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) April 3, 2025
🎙️ @JooAlmeida98 “We go into Basque Country with a very strong team. It will be the first time I race here so I’m excited to take it on.” #WeAreUAE
Read more here ➡️ https://t.co/rnlou57NYO pic.twitter.com/WBQCakGcJo
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- He already may be, he left them behind and then took over Pinkabstractengineer18-05-2025
- 3 youngsters out in front and 10 people within 2 minutes. Not very long ago, all it took to gain 2 minutes on every other rider was a big effort in a mountain stage but that doesn’t seem to happen anymore.Mistermaumau18-05-2025
- Poor guy, hope the rest day does him good.Mistermaumau18-05-2025
- But then why do you feel compelled to read stuff?????Mistermaumau18-05-2025
- Roads outside the capital are some of the best in the world, tarmac smooth as track. Beautiful tea-plantation landscapes, perfect weather, delicious cheap fruit. People are friendly but « sticky » with cyclists. Truck and bus drivers are criminal, you’ll experience feeling like Bernal anywhere busy. Globally not cheap. Genocide museum is peaceful but heavy. Lake Kivu is amazing (also to swim in) but has some dark « mysteries » Take a dirty bike, they’ll clean (chain too) & oil it for 1$. If you have a spare old working bike, consider saving on its return ticket and helping local cycling/triathlon associations, they’re athletes have nothing and they’ll find a way to keep it alive with whatever means, like connecting an old spoke to any broken one to retighten a wheel. Tourist attractions are expensive but pay for useful activities (protecting wildlife mainly). Plastic bags are banned, theft is very badly frowned upon so unlikely, service is generally bad but it helps if you explain what you expect. Go do it, it’s a great experience (if you wait a few more years, cycling friend of mine is building rental homes at the lake and will be organising bike tours).Mistermaumau18-05-2025
- Achilles heal lol. He has more mountain bike results than most full time mountain bikers will ever have.mij18-05-2025
- Primoz certainly had some sh*t luck today, and I feel badly for him, but that's racing. Now we're left an unexpected leaderboard, and I think that it's going to make the rest of this Giro very interesting to watch.
santiagobenites18-05-2025 - Win or lose Egan Bernal is a class act.Cyclingsbestfan18-05-2025
- Wout really needed this win. He needed it much more than Isaac did, and Isaac has the 'consolation' prize of leading the Giro now with a decent margin, so it was a win-win situation.santiagobenites18-05-2025
- He knows how to answer a tricky question that may get him into trouble with his teammates. All the best to him. May he win this GT!
KerisVroom18-05-2025