UAE Team Emirates - XRG unveil powerhouse support squad for Joao Almeida at Volta a Comunitat Valenciana

Winning the 2026 Volta a Comunitat Valenciana is the sole objective on the mind of UAE Team Emirates - XRG. It does not matter that Remco Evenepoel and Giulio Pellizzari line up as a Red Bull BORA hansgrohe duo, or that Cian Uijtdebroeks makes his debut with Movistar Team. For the Emirati squad, there is no acceptable outcome other than leaving the race with João Almeida in the overall lead.

The main focus will be on the Portuguese rider, who makes his official 2026 debut on Spanish roads. Almeida returns to a race he knows well and where he was already a protagonist last year, narrowly missing out on overall victory with a commendable second place in the general classification. This edition offers a fresh opportunity to assess his condition after the winter work.

Joao Almeida will be supported by a solid and balanced group around him. Experience will come from Marc Soler, Brandon McNulty, Felix Grossschartner and Florian Vermeersch, while young talent is represented by Adria Pericas and Moritz Mauss, one of the standout names of Generation Z within the Emirati setup.

Special mention goes to McNulty, a stage winner and overall winner here in 2024, who knows the race inside out.

Although the major goals for several of these riders will come later in the season, the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana offers the ideal setting to gauge form after the winter.

For Vermeersch, it will also mark his competitive debut in his second campaign with the team, while Soler, Grossschartner, Pericas and Mauss arrive with racing in their legs after recently competing at the Challenge Mallorca, where UAE Team Emirates XRG delivered a very strong performance and took victory at the Trofeo Calvia.

From the team car, sporting direction will be handled by Fabio Baldato and Marco Marzano, tasked with managing a varied route that promises action from the opening day.

This year’s edition begins on Wednesday, 4 February in Segorbe, with an opening stage that points towards a fast finish suited to the sprinters. A similar script could play out on the fifth and final day, which is also expected to favour the fastest men in the peloton.

Between those stages, the race will be decided on the terrain key to the general classification. On Thursday, a 17-kilometre individual time trial will begin to create the first meaningful gaps, before two demanding mountain days. Stage 4 will include the ever-feared Coll de Rates, one of the most emblematic climbs on the Costa Blanca and a regular selection point among the favourites.