"There was no one with me" - João Almeida hits out at lack of support from UAE as Vingegaard gains Vuelta GC advantage on stage 9

João Almeida was left to ride alone in the decisive moments of stage 9 at the Vuelta a Espana, conceding 24 seconds to a rampant Jonas Vingegaard on the slopes of Valdezcaray. Yet despite the setback, the UAE Team Emirates leader struck a calm, measured tone post-stage, insisting there’s still everything to play for in the race for red.

“Today, I was a bit short on team support. In the end, there was no one with me. That’s just how it is,” Almeida told Eurosport in his post-stage interview immediately afterwards, offering a typically blunt assessment of the situation.

UAE Team Emirates - XRG had faded from the fore in the finale, with Almeida isolated just as the general classification battle ignited. Vingegaard’s move came early on the climb, catching most rivals out of position. Tom Pidcock tried to ride across the gap with Almeida, but the Portuguese rider admitted the damage was already done.

“We were poorly positioned. They went off incredibly hard, and it was difficult to close the gap straight away,” Almeida said. “I couldn’t follow when Vingegaard attacked. I felt good on the climb, but he was flying.”

Almeida’s effort was still enough to limit the damage and preserve his podium ambitions. He crossed the line alongside Pidcock, 24 seconds adrift of the stage winner but well ahead of many GC rivals.

With Torstein Traeen clinging onto red by a margin of just 37 seconds, Vingegaard is now clearly the man in control. Still, Almeida refuses to see stage 9 as a turning point, downplaying the time loss and focusing instead on what lies ahead. “It’s just 24 seconds — nothing’s changed. I feel good. We’ll keep trying all the way to the end. Every day is a new opportunity, and anything can still happen.”