"Sometimes my teammates take more risks in the corners than I’m comfortable with" - João Almeida plays it safe on stage 5 of 2025 Itzulia Basque Country
Cycling
With just one stage to go, UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader João Almeida leads the 2025 Itzulia Basque Country by 30 seconds from Max Schachmann. With 7 categorised climbs on the final stage though, the Portuguese is quick to insist that the race is still far from done.
"It was a good day - definitely fast and pretty tough - but I’m happy," Almeida reflected in a post-stage interview following stage 5, after Ben Healy stunningly soloed to a 50km+ victory. "Once again the team was fantastic. We took control when we needed to, closed the gaps when it was time, and in the final part of the stage, I had teammates helping me keep an eye on my rivals and setting the pace so no one could try anything. I especially want to highlight Igor Arrieta’s performance - despite his crash, he got back on and kept pushing hard."
In terms of the GC, things were largely quiet on stage 5. "I wasn’t in the perfect position on the final climb. Sometimes my teammates take more risks in the corners than I’m comfortable with, and I chose not to take any chances - especially since I was feeling really good. I just preferred to stay calm rather than risk crashing," Almeida concludes, before casting an eye towards the final day. "I’m not afraid of anyone. There are a few riders who’ve shown they’re in great form, especially the ones in the top five. It’ll definitely be a good battle, but we have to stay confident and do our best."
Read also
After a solid display of teamwork, @JooAlmeida98 finished safely in the GC group on Stage 5 of #Itzulia2025, maintaining his overall lead with one decisive stage remaining.💛💪#WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/A2pQmFEmhZ
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) April 11, 2025
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
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