After stage win number 7, should UAE now go all-in on Almeida? Contador says it’s a "complicated situation"

In the stage to La Farrapona, Marc Soler took the win, but that result actually put UAE in a tough spot. The team was also trying to distance Jonas Vingegaard. “I think everyone is happy with the stage win because it’s such a complicated situation,” Contador told COPE. “UAE was riding on the front and, in doing so, nearly jeopardized Marc’s victory.”

However, the former Vuelta winner is not saying that was the wrong call. “It’s normal that the team is focused on the overall win, even if that meant Almeida stayed put,” he said. Contador also pointed out that race leader Vingegaard doesn’t seem to be at his sharpest. “We thought Vingegaard would destroy his rivals, but Almeida has come out of it looking alive and strong.”

With three big mountain stages and a time trial still to come, Contador believes Vingegaard is under real pressure. “He’s clearly still very strong, but it’ll all depend on how the race unfolds. Almeida mentioned he was hoping Vingegaard would start to feel the fatigue from the Tour, and it’s starting to look like he doesn’t have the same freshness. A 48-second lead isn’t a position Vingegaard is comfortable in. Still, he rarely cracks, and for me, he’s still the favorite.”

With a hard-working Juan Ayuso, Almeida has gained a valuable helper. The Spaniard is set to leave UAE at the end of the year. “That was the best solution for both sides. It’s a relationship where we already saw friction two years ago, and that’s never a good thing. There’s a lot of talent on this team, and that’s one of the reasons they’ve already won seven stages with four different riders. But you have to know how to manage that.”

Contador expects plenty of teams will be interested in signing Ayuso, but he believes Ayuso needs to find a team where he can be the true leader. “He has to find his place. If he has big ambitions but stays on the same team as the best rider in the world, that becomes an impossible situation. I think Ayuso is a leader, but he has to find the place where he can develop to his full potential.”