João Almeida is not playing the role he wished for at the Vuelta a España, but as the race progresses, the Portuguese climber progresses in form and slowly returns to a competitive shape. He has spoken about the Vuelta's GC battle and the extreme heat that concerns him.
Almeida was at the start of the Vuelta despite being far from his best form, something he deemed important after a year that was wrecked by an unknown virus that has kept him away from a strong level for half a year already.
"I had a virus in March and I never really recovered very well. I kept training and insisting we were getting my shape back, which of course wouldn't come back," Almeida shared with Cyclingnews before stage 15. "And then things just got worse and worse.
After months either training to an unexpected level of exhaustion, recovering from the virus, and trying to train his way back into form, the return to racing at the Tour de Pologne was not beneficial for him and put another obstacle in the way.
"I crashed in Poland (at the Tour de Pologne, ed.) and then I was sick as well so i spent four days off the bike, so it was far from ideal. But I think my condition is improving here, within the limits I have, of course because miracles don't really happen from one day to the other. So we keep trying. We keep doing our best. That's everything I can do."
From the breakaway, Almeida was 10th on the stage to Sierra de la Pandera - his best stage result since the Volta ao Algarve back in February.
Primoz Roglic can still win La Vuelta
Almeida is not part of the fight for the overall classification anymore, and due to Tadej Pogacar's withdrawal, not a factor in it either. Enric Mas leads the fight with 2:06 minutes over Felix Gall and 2:10 minutes on Primoz Roglic.
"The last two stages and the TT are going to make big gaps. I think so far nothing is really decided. Enric is looking really good, but it's all about the TT right," Almeida argued. Primoz Roglic, third, still has realistic chances of winning in Granada he recons.
"I think everything is very open and Primoz can still definitely win. I think his form is growing in this Vuelta and I would say Felix Gall also looks really good. Of course, normally he will have big problems in the TT, right?"
João Almeida believes Primoz Roglic can still win Vuelta a España
Almeida worries about the extreme heat
Almeida has also been one of the critical voices about the conditions the riders are being forced to race on. This Sunday, the average temperatures were above 40 degrees celsius according to the bike computers of the riders.
"I think the heat is a bit limiting because we are reaching the limit of the human body, which is a bit dangerous," he argues.
"It's not easy to explain, but it's kind of part of our preparation to do heat training, and so you can ride in these conditions. You ride easy, it's no problem and get plenty of water and refresh yourself. But it's not easy to race for us, it's different so it can definitely be dangerous. We need to look out for each other."
The Portuguese rider does not enjoy racing in the head and does not thrive in it either. If he was contesting for the overall classification, it could prove to be a challenge too difficult to overcome.
"I always struggle a lot with it. For me it's hard and it affects me a lot. I think it's the same for everybody but some guys are better than others. And it's one of those things where you really can't make any mistakes, otherwise you're in big trouble."
"You saw how it affected the guys yesterday, but it's also day after day... The dehydration and the heat, yeah, it's no joke."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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