Vuelta a Espana started today with an individual time trial in Lisbon, with three Portuguese in the peloton. All of them were provided with an extensive support of home fans over the 12-kilometer with the race's first red jersey in stake.
One of the men most in demand at the end of his individual effort was UAE Team Emirates rider João Almeida, who has felt a huge outpouring of support these days, as he is the Portuguese's great hope for a top result in the general classification. "It was the first time I've been this busy. For Tadej Pogacar it's probably like this every day," joked Almeida in the post-race interview. "I'm very grateful for all this support, it really makes all the difference," confesses João with a huge smile.
As for his time trial, Almeida left the ramp at a time when the wind was intense and after kilometer 4 there was no hiding from it, leaving him completely exposed. But that was the same for almost all the men in the peloton who came out later for the individual effort: "I'm happy with my time trial, I planned it well. It was very windy, especially at the end. It was a real shame, but it is what it is. My legs are fine, so I guess that's a good thing," concluded the young man from Caldas da Rainha. The race will be passing by his house on tomorrow's stage.
Today's stage left João Almeida 19 seconds off the lead, which belongs to his teammate Brandon McNulty. As for the main GC favourites, Almeida only lost 3 seconds to Primoz Roglic, and gained time on everyone else. Compared to the likes of Enric Mas, Richard Carapaz, Mikel Landa or Carlos Rodriguez, Almeida already has a lead of twenty seconds or more.
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