Almeida and Ayuso happy with time gain, but red jersey still out of reach: "The Vuelta will only really begin tomorrow"

For Almeida, it was a relief after some tricky days. “I think we were one of the favorites, and we knew we could fight for the win,” the Portuguese rider said in his flash interview. “But we had to be realistic. There are a lot of strong teams here. Still, we executed it perfectly and deserved the victory.” UAE finished eight seconds ahead of Visma | Lease a Bike and nine ahead of Lidl-Trek.

Plenty of reason to celebrate for the Emirati team. “This is great for morale, it just makes the atmosphere in the group even better,” the 27-year-old leader confirmed. “It also gives us confidence, even if the gaps are small. It doesn’t change much yet, but it’s a good start. We had a plan and carried it out perfectly. Everyone was strong, and there were even a few positive surprises. It was a great team effort, everyone deserves a congratulations.”

Almeida knows a team time trial isn’t just another effort. It takes a huge amount of preparation to get everything right, and once the race is underway, the nerves are high. “Everyone was really tired. We went full gas, and I kept looking back to see where my teammates were. Once I knew we still had enough riders together, I just kept pushing on the pedals to take every second I could. I’m happy with that.”

The red jersey didn’t land on the shoulders of UAE Team Emirates. That might not be the worst outcome, since the team won’t have to control the race yet. But Almeida still feels a little differently. “I would’ve loved to have it already. It’s a beautiful jersey. I’ve never worn it before, so it would’ve been nice if it had worked out today. But it doesn’t matter when I take it. We’re getting closer, and hopefully one day we’ll manage to grab it. Maybe it happens, maybe not. We’ll see.”

Ayuso was also very pleased with the victory. “It’s my first win in a team time trial, and to do it together, with everyone contributing, makes it very special. Especially the way we did it. We reconned the course twice, because the first time we weren’t completely satisfied. That’s why we did it again. Everyone was very optimistic today, and it’s a deserved win.”

The young Spaniard explained that the second recon was crucial for the final result. “That’s how we were able to iron out the small mistakes. When everything comes together like that, it’s even more beautiful to win.” Thursday brings the first real mountain stage, and Ayuso is excited. “From day one I’ve said the Vuelta would only really begin tomorrow. It’s already nice to start the race with a win, especially with a team victory. We have this one in the bag, but tomorrow we’ll see how where things really stand.”