João Almeida returns to racing - Jhonatan Narváez co-leads UAE at the Tour de Pologne

Cycling
Saturday, 01 August 2026 at 11:46
João Almeida during stage 5 of the 2026 Volta a Catalunya
The 2026 Tour de Pologne will begin this upcoming week. Despite being a very busy period of the season, UAE Team Emirates - XRG is showing up at the post-Tour de France World Tour stage-race with a star-studded lineup and several riders to contend for the overall win.
The race features three flat stages to begin with and then a few days in the hills where the overall classification will be decided. The race starts on the 3rd of August and finishes on the 9th in Krakow with a time trial starting and finishing in the Wieliczka Salt Mine, 12 kilometers in length.
After winning the Tour de France, UAE has plenty riders recovering into the coming events; whilst several are also specifically preparing for the Vuelta a España. With the Vuelta a Burgos also colliding in the calendar, it is no easy task to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together, but UAE has assembled a very strong lineup to tackle the Polish race.
João Almeida returns to racing. The Portuguese rider was hampered by an unknown virus in the spring which made it impossible for him to reach his best level from March onwards, and ultimately saw him removed from the lineup for the Giro d'Italia. He returned to competition at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, but was unable to be an important part of Isaac del Toro's support crew. Ever since, Almeida has been recovering and looks to regain his best form ahead of La Vuelta where he was second last year.
Jhonatan Narváez should be co-leading the team next to him, or leading by himself if Almeida is not at his best form. The Ecuadorian has recently won three stages at the Giro d'Italia and then backed that up with another triumph at the Tour de Suisse. After a recovery block, he now begins a string of races that fit his abilities perfectly.
Jan Christen and Benoît Cosnefroy join the duo as further classics specialists, well suited to the short and steep climbs, of which the riders will find aplenty. Mikkel Bjerg, Vegard Stake Laengen and Rune Herregodts complete the lineup - with the latter having confirmed earlier this week that he would be departing the team at the end of the season.
Joao Almeida ahead of stage 1 at the 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
After a complicated year, João Almeida looks to return to the forefront at the Tour de Pologne

UAE Team Emirates - XRG for Tour de Pologne 2026

Riders 
João Almeida
Mikkel Bjerg
Jan Christen
Benoît Cosnefroy
Rune Herregodts
Vegard Stake Laengen
Jhonatan Narváez
claps 1visitors 1
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