“We saw a lot of strange things in my blood work" - João Almeida opens up at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes about illness

João Almeida keeps edging back towards his best. The UAE Team Emirates XRG rider tackled stage 4 of the Tour Auvergne Rhône-Alpes 2026 (in Spanish Tour Auvernia Ródano-Alpes, the Dauphiné’s new name) with optimism, while admitting he is still short of top condition.

After several difficult months due to health issues that hit his form and preparation, the Portuguese said his sensations are improving day by day.

“It’s been a hard race. As expected on my return, I knew my shape wasn’t good,” Almeida said at the start. He showed no alarm, taking it in stride. “It’s part of the process,” he summed up to Cycling Pro Net before stage 4.

Despite the setbacks, Almeida believes the trajectory is positive. He particularly highlighted UAE Team Emirates XRG’s performance in the previous day’s team time trial, an effort that left him satisfied on a personal level. “I’ve felt better each day. I think I did a pretty good team time trial yesterday, so I was very happy afterwards,” he noted.

With several mountain stages still to come, the main goal remains to bank race kilometres and keep rebuilding form. “I hope to feel better every day and improve a bit,” he said.

Almeida was also asked about the physical problems that forced him to revise his plans during the first part of the season. Without going into detail, he confirmed that medical tests flagged anomalies that ultimately shaped his preparation.

“We saw a lot of strange things in my blood work. I don’t have much to add,” he explained.

The Portuguese said he initially tried to keep training to see how things evolved, but eventually had to stop. “First I tried to keep training to see how it went and then in the end I had to stop. That’s how it is,” he stated.

Although he acknowledges there’s still work to do to fully regain race level, Almeida sounded confident about the coming months. “I feel good on the bike, I’m just missing the shape. I just need to train and prepare better,” he said.

The day-to-day signs point to optimism. “Overall I feel good, I just lack preparation. I feel I’m recovering well every day. It’s a very good sign,” he stressed.

Asked whether he could reach the Vuelta a España in good condition, the Portuguese was clear: “Yes, I think so.”

Meanwhile, at the Tour Auvergne Rhône-Alpes he remains grounded and aware the process takes patience. “You don’t get form in a few days. It’s months of preparation,” he recalled. Looking ahead to the decisive mountain stages, Almeida hopes to keep building and contribute to UAE Team Emirates XRG’s collective work. “I’ll see what I can do and help Del Toro,” he concluded.