Sierra Nevada "will be a crucial day" for João Almeida who looks to ride up the overall classification
Cycling
The finale of the second week is incredibly important for the overall classification, and UAE Team Emirates' João Almeida seems to be on rising form and aiming high as the race heads into Sierra Nevada this afternoon.
Yesterday at Sierra de la Pandera Almeida rode under the radar, but was a surprising figure in crossing the line in fourth place, only behind Primoz Roglic and Miguel Ángel López who had attacked earlier. “We rode really full from start to finish. In the final I had good legs, which enabled me to ride to a good result," the Portuguese said after the finish. In his traditional style, he paced himself back into contention, and took time on some of his rivals.
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He's jumped to seventh position in the overall classification, 6:49 minutes behind race leader Remco Evenepoel. However, as the race goes on Almeida seems to be on rising form such as López, and today crucial differences are expected at Sierra Nevada. “I think that will be a crucial day. I trained a lot in Sierra Nevada this year so I know the roads there well. I know how tough it will be," he said.
The route will include two equally steep ascent to Alto del Purche and the Spanish ski station where UAE have often had training camps on, and Almeida will put on a fight for the Top5 in the race, alongside Juan Ayuso who has remained in the race despite his Covid-19 infection, but has suffered a mistimed mechanical yesterday and arrived alongside Remco Evenepoel.
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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.
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- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
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🇪🇸: @lavuelta Stage 15 🚩Martos - 🏁 Sierra Nevada , 153 km. ⏰:13:05- 17:30(CEST) ⚠️: The Queen stage of the race with over 4000m of climbing up and around the Sierra Nevada mountain range. 📺: @Eurosport #LaVuelta22 #WeAreUAE
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