Ayuso entertains the fans, Jay Vine goes all out for Almeida, even if he loses the polka dot jersey
Cycling
Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GoogleUAE Team Emirates-XRG continues to dominate the Vuelta a España. The team has been busy throughout the race with men in breakaways, stage wins, and the polka dot jersey, but in stage 13 to Angliru, it was all-in for just one man. João Almeida proved he was worth the hard work of his teammates by winning the stage and closing in on Jonas Vingegaard in the GC.
ADVERTISEMENT
On Thursday, UAE won its fifth (!) stage in this Vuelta with Juan Ayuso, who was accompanied all day by Marc Soler. The two Spaniards clearly had to recover from those efforts on Friday, because in the plan to launch Almeida to the Angliru, we never saw Soler and Ayuso working at the decisive moment.
“I'm disappointed because I couldn't do much more. I really suffered today,” said Ayuso, who opted for a steady pace on the Angliru and celebrated briefly with the Spanish fans along the side. Almeida didn't necessarily need the two Spaniards either, because with Jay Vine, Ivo Oliveira, who had come back from the breakaway, and finally Felix Großschartner, Almeida was launched.
The Portuguese leader rode away from everyone except Vingegaard. Almeida did win the stage and is now 46 seconds behind his Danish rival.
Continue reading below the video
Vine seems to be shifting focus to Almeida
In the balancing act between stage wins on the one hand and Almeida on the other, UAE remains divided. Vine was also on the move so often in the first week, winning a total of two stages and his polka dot jersey, but on Friday, the Australian clearly shifted his focus to Almeida on the Angliru. “One of my main goals is to be in a team that wins a Grand Tour.”
According to Vine, Almeida is capable of doing that. “When João didn't finish the Tour de France and made it to the Vuelta, I knew he would be in top form. On days like today, it's just hard work. I'm proud to have contributed, because winning on the Angliru is incredible. That's just pure power.”
Continue reading below the video
Vine knows exactly when Almeida is good
According to Vine, all the work for Almeida did not come out of nowhere. The team leader is riding excellently, as the team can see. “João never says he feels good, even when he's flying. He says he feels better, or something like that. But the plan was to go for it on the penultimate climb and drop him off as quickly as possible for the steepest sections. After that, it was up to him.”
Almeida's victory could have consequences for Vine. Now that the Portuguese rider seems to be in contention for the overall victory in the Vuelta, UAE may have to conserve some energy in all those breakaways. Vine is already on board with that. “Personally, I would love to win the polka dot jersey, but the bigger picture is the red jersey. If I have to give up the polka dot jersey for João, I'll do so with pleasure.”
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
IDL-productions
Celia Gery won the European cyclocross championship while awaiting surgery: 'It'll be a new beginning'
Dutch team coach De Knegt annoyed by European Cyclocross Championships dispute: "A bit of a let down"
Glasgow set to shine as World Cup demand outstrips expectations and Mason eyes first home cyclocross race
Pogačar, Vingegaard and Van Aert went faster again in 2026... except when they didn't
Team GB dominate, China on the rise, Lavreysen the best ever? Five takeaways from the 2026 Track World Championships
Latest Cycling News
Eddie Dunbar wins Vuelta stage as Pinarello-Q36.5 put three riders in top five and Roglič attacks
Tom Pidcock ends 2026 fifth in the world, with Ciccone and Hayter arriving at Pinarello for 2027
Picnic PostNL's WorldTour uncertainty has five rival teams, and Tom Pidcock, watching the UCI closely
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado's injury isn't as bad as feared, but she may not line up for a while
TotalEnergies rescued from collapse, but rider recruitment remains a problem before 27th Tour de France appearance
Popular Cycling News
Sven Nys spoke with Lucinda Brand straight after European Championship drama: 'Is that enough to ultimately relegate someone'
Fears of serious injury to Alvarado, bronze medalist, after the European Cyclocross Championships
Disqualified Schreiber skips European Championship podium: 'I’m very grateful that she said that'
Picnic PostNL's WorldTour uncertainty has five rival teams, and Tom Pidcock, watching the UCI closely
Schreiber slams disrespectful European cyclocross championship judges: 'They didn’t even let me finish speaking'
Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026
