Almeida smells blood in final Vuelta week: "If Vingegaard were at his best, he would have attacked me"

Almeida has kept pace with Vingegaard for almost the entire Vuelta so far, except during the ninth stage. As a result, he is 48 seconds behind the red jersey wearer with a tough week of racing still to go. “I'm tired like everyone else, but I'm okay,” he told Marca on the rest day. "I feel motivated. We've had two very good weeks, and we're going all out for the last one.“

The last week includes three mountain stages, culminating in a beautiful finish at Bola del Mundo. But on Thursday, a crucial time trial awaits. ”The time trial will undoubtedly be very important. All the stages are very tough, but Saturday and Wednesday are the toughest at the end, where you can make the difference. We'll take it day by day."

Almeida has beaten Vingegaard once so far: that was at the top of the Alto del Angliru. “It definitely gave me a lot more confidence. It's a very tough climb that requires strong legs, and in the end, I was surprised that I won because I didn't expect it, but it did give me the confidence that I can win. Of course, you need strong legs, and hopefully we won't have any bad days.”

Almeida also knows that he is not up against the best Vingegaard. “If he were at his best, I think he would have attacked me that day. I'm not in my best form of the year either, so we're both in a similar situation. But Jonas is still a better rider. He has won the Tour de France twice and many other races, and he is always among the best.”

UAE Team Emirates - XRG has won seven stages in the Vuelta so far: one by Almeida and one via the team time trial. The rest were won by Juan Ayuso, Jay Vine (with two wins), and Marc Soler. It's a fantastic result, but the team has been criticized at times. It seemed that they weren't going all in for Almeida. However, the Portuguese rider denies this.

“The times when someone from the team was in the breakaway, it was because they didn't need to be with me,” he explains. “So far, nothing has changed in the GC, and we have done very well. I would also trade stage wins for the GC, but if that is not possible, it is better to do it in stages. So far, I have always had a great team supporting me.”

Ayuso will leave UAE Team Emirates - XRG after this season. The Portuguese rider dismisses rumors that he and Almeida don't get along. “We get along well, we're always on good terms. Like everyone else, we sometimes have differences of opinion, but we talk about them and resolve them. So it's all fine.”