UAE Team Emirates has confirmed that João Almeida will not continue in the Vuelta a España due to COVID-19. Almeida, 26, will miss Sunday’s stage 9 from Motril to Sierra Nevada. The Portuguese rider, who finished third in the 2023 Giro d’Italia, had already experienced a significant time loss on stage 8, which was won by Primož Roglič (UAE Team Emirates).
Almeida had shown promise early in the Vuelta, placing 10th in the opening time trial in Lisbon and finishing alongside Roglič in the first uphill finish at Villuercas, moving into second overall. However, he began to struggle in stage 8, weaving at the back of the peloton before the final short climb to Cazorla, where he lost 4:53 and dropped to 26th.
In a statement, team medical director Dr Adrian Rotunno said, “João reported feeling unwell during stage 8 of La Vuelta. After further examination and undergoing a PCR test which confirmed a COVID-19 infection, the decision has been made to withdraw him from the race in the best interest of his, the team, and the peloton’s safety. He will now travel home for recovery.”
This isn’t Almeida’s first encounter with COVID-19 disrupting his Grand Tour ambitions. He had to abandon the 2022 Giro d’Italia due to the virus while running fourth overall.
UAE Team Emirates started the Vuelta strongly, with Brandon McNulty winning the opening time trial. However, Adam Yates, the co-leader for the overall, crashed heavily on stage 6 and is now over nine minutes behind race leader Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale).
With Almeida’s exit, UAE Team Emirates, one of the pre-race favourites, finds themselves in a challenging position. It remains uncertain whether teammate Isaac del Toro, their best-placed rider at 6:32 down in his first Grand Tour, will focus on a general classification strategy or if the team will now shift their goals towards stage wins.
Main photo credit: Getty
