UAE Team Emirates remain upbeat despite first sign of weakness from Joao Almeida: "He didn't lose that much to his two competitors"
Cycling
After his heroics on the 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia, Joao Almeida was brought back down to earth with a bump as he lost time to both Primoz Roglic and the Maglia Rosa, Geraint Thomas on stage 18.
Nevertheless, if it wasn't for a brilliant effort by Jay Vine it could have been worse. UAE Team Emirates boss Mauro Gianetti is choosing to remain upbeat. "João had a bit more trouble today. He didn't have a top feeling, but he didn't lose that much to his two competitors," he told Eurosport post-stage. “He told me after the ride that he didn't feel great from the start. Good, but not great."
“But the goal is still to get on the podium. We're not there yet. It is also Thomas and Roglic that he competes against, two real top riders,” he continues. “Tomorrow I expect a lot, it promises to be a wonderful spectacle. Roglič wants to make up some of his backlog, Thomas wants to finish ahead of the time trial and João of course wants to get closer. That will definitely be a good fight.”
Almeida has now dropped to third in the general classification but at just 39 seconds down on Geraint Thomas it is still all to play for.
Read also
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Pidcock finished 9th place, 29 minutes down. he is a helluva rider, so gutsy. and he is amazing at all disciplines. but this headline is . . .mij09-11-2026
- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment