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 GoogleWith the Giro d'Italia approaching and the long-running rivalry between Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates-XRG continuing to shape the season, Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya were seen as key measuring sticks. But by the end of March, Jonas Vingegaard appears to have far more confidence than rival João Almeida. The Portuguese rider openly admitted after the final stage in Catalunya that he has doubts about his current condition.
ADVERTISEMENT
Almeida is still expected to lead his team at the Giro in six weeks’ time, but after podium finishes in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and the Volta ao Algarve, he could do no better than 38th overall in Catalunya. Earlier this month, he had already been forced to miss Paris-Nice because of illness, which only added to the uncertainty surrounding his build-up to the first Grand Tour of the year.
Almeida did not want to use that illness as an excuse. “I already felt like this before the start,” he said. “Maybe I need to do some tests and analyses. I’ll have to discuss it with the medical team.” It was a strikingly honest assessment from a rider who had been expected to arrive at the Giro as one of UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s major leaders.
Almeida still wants to go to the Giro
“I don’t feel very good on the bike at the moment. Maybe I need to rest for a bit, work out what is going on, and then get back to working hard,” the Portuguese rider explained to CyclingProNet.
Even so, Almeida also stressed that there is currently no plan to change his Giro d'Italia programme. “I think I will keep the same schedule,” he said. So despite the doubts, his aim remains unchanged: recover, understand the problem, and still line up for the Giro as planned.
Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
IDL-productions
Cyclocross legend Lars van der Haar had a tough time after retiring from cyclocross: 'It was over pretty quickly'
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
Latest Cycling News
Thibau Nys offers glimpse into unbelievable cyclocross comeback: 'That uncertainty, that struggle with self-confidence'
Complications surround Wout van Aert's World Cyclocross Championship start
Thibau Nys and Lucinda Brand's team lose title sponsor in the middle of the cyclocross season
Extensive evidence of use of N-word, homophobia, and Asian-hate by track cyclist Matthew Richardson revealed
Former French champion and Van der Poel's lead-out man signs for Unibet Rode Rockets
Popular Cycling News
Tadej Pogačar reveals his insane training data in new HBO film: 'I think that's what works best'
Pidcock's turbocharged vacation leads to struggles on the bike: 'No wonder people think cycling is hard'
Mads Pedersen weighs in on Lucinda Brand and Marie Schreiber's European Cyclocross Championship clash
🎥 Lucinda Brand pulls out of the Niel cyclocross race in tears after just a few minutes
Thibau Nys and Lucinda Brand's team lose title sponsor in the middle of the cyclocross season
Latest Comments
- I’m not sure how WorldTour licences work—could these reports affect whether the team gets one next year, or is that decision based on other criteria?velodromevirtuoso113-11-2026
- Pointing to three former riders doesn’t settle what nearly 100 people have reportedly shared. Hopefully the review looks at the team’s systems and culture, not just whose version of events sounds more convincing.julien13-11-2026
- Eight questions or 23? That’s a pretty significant difference in the accounts, and it’d be useful to know exactly what was sent and when.robert6513-11-2026
- Kittel’s position sounds more nuanced than Spekenbrink suggests: he didn’t endorse the “culture of fear” label, but still called for the team to be looked at critically. That distinction matters.bikebuffj13-11-2026
- The independent investigation is the important bit now. It needs to give current staff a safe way to speak honestly, not just become another round of public statements.michael5413-11-2026
- One Lombardia doesn’t tell us how Seixas will handle a full Grand Tour. I’d rather see him develop steadily than have every result turned into a Pogačar comparison.samanthak12-11-2026
- Pogacar is 30 already? I thought he was younger. If he keeps winning like this, how long can he realistically ride at the top?jeremya12-11-2026
- Interesting that Thomas made the comparison while speaking to Rowe, given Decathlon’s hopes of keeping Seixas and the reports linking INEOS with him. Praise, or a subtle message to a potential signing?gearguru3312-11-2026
- Seixas winning Il Lombardia at this age is a huge statement. The Pogačar comparisons are inevitable, but Thomas is right to leave room for both of them to keep improving—Pog is still setting the bar.robert6512-11-2026
- A fascinating career, but the article leans heavily on his side of the story. Were the three disqualifications all for the same equipment rule, or were there different issues each time?michael5412-11-2026