"João will certainly be in good shape" - Adam Yates confirms Almeida is on track to be at his best towards Giro d'Italia

Adam Yates expressed confidence in teammate João Almeida’s performance for the next edition of the Giro d’Italia, assuring that UAE Team Emirates - XRG will field a solid lineup to contend in the race with the main favorite, Jonas Vingegaard, leader of Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

"It’s hard to win any race, but we’re going to the Giro with a strong team. João will certainly be in good shape — he always is," said the British cyclist to Lusa news agency, when asked about expectations surrounding the Portuguese rider for the 109th edition of the Italian race.

During the press conference presenting the Gran Camiño, held this Monday at the Riazor Stadium in A Coruña, Adam Yates nevertheless acknowledged that the challenge awaiting his Portuguese colleague in the Corsa Rosa will be particularly demanding. The competition starts on May 8 in Nessebar, Bulgaria, and ends on the 31st of the same month in Rome.

"After this race, we’re going to Sierra Nevada for an altitude camp to fine-tune all the work. Obviously, Jonas [Vingegaard] is quite strong and it will be difficult to beat him, but we’ll try our best," declared the Briton.

At 33, Adam Yates is expected to take on direct support duties for João Almeida, reviving a partnership that bore much fruit at the Tour de Suisse and the 2024 Tour de France, in the clash with the Dane who surpassed the Portuguese at the 2025 Vuelta a España. Choosing the Gran Camiño as a preparatory step fits into the strategy outlined for what he considers the main competitive goal of the season, which has been somewhat below expectations, standing out only with 2nd place at the Muscat Classic and 3rd overall at the Tour of Oman.

"There aren’t that many stage races at this time that are similar to what we do at the [Critérium du] Dauphiné and the Tour de Suisse. So, in December, when we set the calendar, we realized this was the ideal race to fit into that slot before the Giro, and here I am," he explained.

A central figure in the fifth edition of the Gran Camiño, an event that this year features a peloton with fewer big names and a strong Portuguese presence, the third-place finisher at the 2023 Tour de France also addressed the situation of his twin brother, Simon Yates, a Giro d’Italia winner who decided to call time on his career at the start of the current season.

"I talk to him every day. We’re super close. He’s enjoying life and things he couldn’t do when he was a cyclist. When I go home, we go for a bike ride. It’s a new way of life for him," he emphasized, clearly dismissing any intention of following the same path in the near future. "I can continue for another five or six years."

For now, the Gran Camiño got off to a very positive start for UAE, with Adam Yates in 6th, one of the best among the GC contenders and with Julius Johansen taking victory in the opening 15 kilometers time trial in A Coruña, beating two Portuguese cyclists — Rafael Reis (Anicolor / Campicarn) and Nelson Oliveira (Movistar Team).