José De Cauwer: "I didn’t expect us to be in this situation heading into the final week of the Vuelta"

“Beforehand, I thought Vingegaard would be slightly more dominant. Over the last two days, I think the balance has shifted slightly in Almeida's favor. That's good. It only makes it more exciting. We have two favorites,” said De Cauwer. “I didn't expect us to be in this situation heading into the final week.”

According to De Cauwer, UAE Emirates-XRG should focus entirely on the Portuguese rider. “The overall victory should be the most important thing. They should give Almeida their full support. Jay Vine may try to score extra points. That's possible, but it should mainly be for Almeida.”

“I've seen Felix Grossschartner perform particularly well. I haven't seen anything impressive from Juan Ayuso. I don't think it will come from him,” says the Belgian. “There are plenty of possibilities. We still have to see Almeida close a gap for the first time, especially in a Grand Tour. We've already seen that from Vingegaard, on all kinds of terrain.”

“Almeida may surprise us. There's still a very nice time trial to come. Vingegaard doesn't really feel very good about that after the Tour,” he said. “Saturday is a stage with more than 4,000 meters of climbing. Then we might get an ‘all-in’ race, with someone who really has to win or someone who dares to lose. Then the race will be completely open.”

“You have to try to seize the opportunities that come your way. I think Almeida will dare to do a little more,” advises De Cauwer. “He still has to win that big race, but he's already had a great season with more than ten victories. It can't really go wrong anymore. The team will now gradually understand that it has to be ‘team Almeida’.”