"To achieve what he couldn't" - Joaquim Agostinho's legacy provides Joao Almeida with an enormous boost into 3rd week

João Almeida is experiencing one of the most remarkable moments of his career in the 2025 Vuelta a Espana. After two extremely demanding weeks, the Portuguese rider remains among the protagonists of the Spanish Grand Tour and is determined to face the decisive third week, which includes multiple stages with summit finishes and a demanding individual time trial.

"It's been a very tough two weeks of racing, but we're expecting a very tough final week, with lots of gradients, high finishes and a time trial. We hope to keep up our good form without any bad luck," he told Lusa.

Despite the tough course ahead, Almeida isn't giving up on his ambitions: "We're going to fight for every second. To gain time we only need one thing: to be superior to our opponents."

After two weeks, Almeida is 48 seconds behind red jersey Jonas Vingegaard while the other GC contenders are multiple minutes further down the result sheet. That means the overall winner will be most likely decided between these two riders.

Among the milestones already achieved in this edition, the triumph on the mythical Alto de l'Angliru stands out. It was a historic day for national cycling, even if it didn't make it possible to reduce the gap to Jonas Vingegaard on the road. "It was endless, that last kilometer never ended, but it was special to win there," he confessed.

João Almeida's performance has not gone unnoticed in Portugal, where it has generated enthusiasm and inevitable comparisons with the legacy of Joaquim Agostinho. "I've seen the covers of the newspapers, I'm aware of it on social media. It's always good to get attention in Portugal. I promise to do my best, but it's going to be difficult," he said.

The Portuguese rider recognizes the historical dimension of being able to match Agostinho, runner-up at the 1976 edition of the Vuelta a Espana: "It's an honour. They're different times, it was probably more difficult back then, but it gives me motivation to be able to do what he did."

Within the UAE Team Emirates - XRG team, João Almeida feels supported despite the controversies involving Juan Ayuso and that his "mountain domestiques" have already won 5 stages among themselves. But perhaps the most important encouragement came from outside Spain, from UAE's biggest star.

Tadej Pogacar's messages of encouragement are an additional boost. "We're always motivating each other, there's a good atmosphere in the team," he said.

On the road, he has the help of Ivo Oliveira, his compatriot and teammate: "He doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. He's a very valuable, very good racer and the fact that he's Portuguese is even better. We're both proud to be in this race."