João Almeida prepares for Giro clash with Vingegaard: 'Everyone is beatable, except maybe Pogacar'

Before Vingegaard takes on Tadej Pogacar in France in July, a clash with Almeida awaits in Italy. One the Dane is looking forward to. “Joao is one of the best riders in the world, so he will be a formidable opponent,” he said.

“He is mentally very strong and hardly ever cracks. If you drop him, he never goes far away. I enjoy the battle against him, and he’s just a good guy that I enjoy talking with,” Vingegaard said about his Portuguese rival, whom he will also meet in the Tour of Catalonia.

“The arrival of Jonas gives the race a bit more cachet, more meaning,” Almeida says. “I’ve raced against him multiple times and it’s always a great battle, so we can expect that again in the Giro. It’s not that I’ve really learned anything from the Vuelta, because it ultimately comes down to the legs.”

“I do know that Jonas races a lot with his brain and can surprise me at certain moments, so I have to watch out for that,” Almeida said. “I think he’s beatable. Everyone is beatable, except maybe Tadej Pogacar. I would even place Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel above myself: I was born in a difficult era, haha.”

While Vingegaard, with an eye on the Tour later in the year, chooses a limited programme with just the UAE Tour and Catalonia, Almeida will be seen in action significantly more often in the early months of the year. “I will start with the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and Volta ao Algarve and then race Paris-Nice and Catalonia.”

In the autumn, Almeida will also start at the Vuelta a España. The winner of the Tour of the Basque Country, Tour de Romandie, and Tour de Suisse from 2025 is pleased with that schedule. “It’s difficult enough for our team to set up the right programme for everyone. I have to say that I just love racing, wherever that may be. But the Giro stands out above all for me when it comes to the races I will ride this year.”

Almeida has already ridden the Giro four times, finishing as third, fourth, and sixth. “We start the Giro with the goal to win it, but talking is easy. We will just do our best, and hopefully, my experience from my first Tour can help me further. It’s nice to be able to change objectives again, and that the team supports me in that.”