Roglic and Vingegaard's presence don't intimidate João Almeida at the Volta ao Algarve: "I think I'm one of the candidates to win the race"

João Almeida is about to start one of the biggest goals of the season: The Volta ao Algarve. The Portuguese race starts tomorrow and runs until next Sunday. He'll have two magnificent rivals in the five-day race, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic, who together have accumulated 7 grand tours. Even so, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG man is a contender for the final victory.

In an interview with the newspaper O Jogo, Almeida praised the presence of Vingegaard, who will "toughen up the race". He's a rider who is a good comparison," he said. Primoz Roglic will be the Portuguese rider's other rival, a rider who doesn't always start the season at 100%, but Almeida is also counting on the Slovenian: "Although it's their first race, they're riders that everyone already knows, it's nothing new. Wherever they go, they discuss the races. It's them that we'll also be looking at a bit in those [difficult] stages and be more attentive to."

Talking about his ambitions: "I think I'm one of the candidates to discuss the race. Clearly there are rider who are stronger or appear to be stronger. The hardest part is done, which is training. Now it's about focusing on the race and controlling what we can control," said the Portuguese UAE Emirates rider at a press conference at the Portimão Museum.

Almeida will be number one and rejected the "extra pressure" of racing on Portuguese roads, "I've already started my season, it's not my first race. So, as it's my home race, my country, I'm clearly coming with big ambitions."

The Caldas da Rainha native also spoke about the changes to the race course, which he considers positive: "In the end, the strongest will win anyway. It's a good way of doing things a bit differently and changing the course in a positive way. I think it gives the race a breath of fresh air and it's a different challenge. It's very good. Personally, I like it".

"It's a very tough race, and you can see how fit you are. Not just me, but all the riders feel the same way. I even think that the classic racers like to come to the Algarve to see how they feel, and it serves as preparation for those races," he said, noting that the 'Algarvia' takes place "at a very good time to train, with good weather and serves as preparation for the rest of the season".

He also recalled his two participations in the race, 6th in 2023 and 9th in 2020, to highlight the support of the Portuguese public: "It's always special to race in our country, it's always a pleasure to race in Portugal, and to be supported by the people." The rest of the UAE team line-up for the Volta ao Algarve is made up of Rui Oliveira, Ivo Oliveira, António Morgado, Jan Christen, Felix Grosschartner and Nils Politt.