UAE Team Emirates - XRG ready to go all-in for Joao Almeida's third WorldTour GC victory in a row

A bit overshadowed by the star-filled Criterium du Dauphiné, the Tour de Suisse will take off this Sunday with one big favourite to dominate on the Swiss roads. Joao Almeida will finalize his preparation for the 2025 Tour de France while looking for his third consecutive WorldTour GC victory.

Right now, few cyclists are at Almeida's level. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider won Itzulia Basque Country and Tour de Romandie, and will be Tadej Pogacar's key man in the high mountains of Tour de France. Whereas in France, his hands will be tied, the Portuguese man will get his moment of glory at the Tour de Suisse.

Before the Swiss race, where he starts as the main favorite, Joao Almeida "threatens" all his rivals:

"It's been a pretty good season for me so far this year, and I want to continue on that path as we approach the Tour de France. Training has been going well. We just got back from altitude with most of the Tour team and now it's time to test the legs," he begins in a pre-race press release.

"It's no secret that I really like the Tour de Suisse. After what we did here last year, we'll come back with the goal of defending the title. It's never easy, but we'll try," he added. In 2024, the UAE duo Adam Yates - Joao Almeida took charge of the whole race, winning two mountain stages each as they cruised to a 1-2 in the final classification.

The same feat would be an ambitious goal this year, considering the parcours and the selection of UAE, however it's indeed a strong team that will accompany the Portuguese rider over the course of next eight days in Switzerland.