De Gendt once did what Almeida is now planning, but warns Pogacar’s domestique about tough road ahead

De Gendt, who has since retired, remains very active on social media regarding cycling. He regularly shares his opinion via X, and that was no different when the news broke that Almeida wants to continue in the Tour after his heavy crash. According to the team, a broken rib will cause a few "painful days," but they hope that Almeida will ultimately be able to use his excellent legs to help Pogacar.

“I rode sixteen stages in 2015 with two broken ribs,” De Gendt said on Saturday morning. So the Belgian knows what he's talking about when he gives Almeida some advice. “It would be possible to continue, but it was very painful. The fracture itself didn't hurt that much on the bike, but the muscles and tissue around it made it difficult to breathe deeply,” was the not-so-pleasant verdict.

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In response to a comment from a cycling fan who asked why Almeida was considering continuing, De Gendt replied: "It's the Tour. That would be the only race I would ride with fractures or injuries. As long as I was still safe on the bike, I would continue. My crash happened in stage 5, and in stage 7, I was pulling the peloton for André Greipel. That way, I could continue doing my job." Almeida will now only be used as a domestique, as he lost ten minutes on day 7 due to his crash.