“Not something I want to comment on” – João Almeida tight-lipped on UAE strategy concerns as tensions simmer on La Vuelta’s first rest day

With the first rest day of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana offering a rare moment of pause, João Almeida kept his cards close to his chest when pressed on UAE Team Emirates - XRG’s internal tactics — following a polarising ninth stage that left the Portuguese GC hopeful with time to claw back and questions swirling around team cohesion.

At 27 years old, Almeida currently sits 1 minute 15 seconds behind the overall race leader, Torstein Traeen of Bahrain - Victorious. The Norwegian retained the leader’s red jersey by 37 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard, who triumphed on the gruelling Valdezcaray climb to shake up the general classification.

Almeida’s third-place finish on the stage was impressive, but the time lost to Vingegaard and Traeen put him on the back foot in the GC battle. Speaking to MARCA on the rest day in Navarrete, Almeida acknowledged the challenges but insisted the race was far from over. “It’s 1 minute 15 on the road — it’s not insurmountable. We’re still very much in the fight,” he said. “The Vuelta is long, and there are plenty of tough stages to come, so there’ll be many chances to gain time — and lose it too.”

Despite this optimistic outlook, Almeida was notably reserved when pressed on what went wrong during the decisive moments of Stage 9. After his post-stage comments on Eurosport suggested he had “expected more from his teammates,” the rider took a more measured stance on rest day. “The team supported me quite a lot all day, and I had Jay Vine helping me close the gap,” Almeida explained. “Maybe we weren’t at 100%, and maybe it wouldn’t have changed anything either. We’ll never know... That’s cycling.”

When directly asked whether a specific rider had failed to execute the plan or whether there had been confusion within the team’s tactics, Almeida was clear but firm: “It’s not something I want to comment on. That’s in the past. Now we need to focus on the stages ahead.”

Though Ayuso’s chances in the GC have dimmed after earlier time losses, Almeida remains the team’s principal hope in the fight for the red jersey. He sees an opportunity to capitalise on the fatigue that might affect rivals like Vingegaard, who also rode the Tour this year. “He rode the Tour, too — that always leaves a bit of fatigue. We hope the final week could stretch that. But credit to him; he’s top class and in great shape,” Almeida remarked.

Looking ahead, the course promises to test every rider’s limits. Tuesday’s summit finish will kick off a punishing run of stages, including the legendary Angliru climb, a crucial individual time trial, and a decisive penultimate mountain stage.

Almeida, who has embraced a more aggressive race style inspired by Pogacar, is ready to attack when the opportunity arises. “When I feel good and the opportunity arises, I no longer just sit on wheels. I try to attack — and we’ll keep trying in every possible way.”

As Almeida said, the past is behind them. The coming days will reveal whether the team can regain cohesion and push their leader back into contention — or whether cracks will deepen as the Vuelta heads toward its dramatic finale.