Sick Almeida forced to surrender against superior Vingegaard: "I was on the limit all day"

UAE Team Emirates - XRG took the lead throughout the race, and after being launched by mountain king Jay Vine, it was up to Almeida. He set a fast pace in his own style, but it wasn't enough to drop Vingegaard. “It was tough,” Almeida sighed at the top of the grueling final climb. “I was already at my limit for the entire ride, but we had to try. We had nothing to lose.”

Vingegaard was able to keep up with the Portuguese rider's pace, and when Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) took the lead, it became clear that the Dane would take the overall victory. Almeida was unable to keep up with his acceleration, partly due to his physical condition, as it turned out. “The idea was to ride as hard as possible, all day long. Unfortunately, I've been sick this week, so I wasn't feeling too good, but you have to try. I think that's the most important thing.”

Ultimately, the Portuguese leader crossed the finish line in sixth place, 22 seconds behind the stage winner. His gap behind Vingegaard in the GC is 1 minute and 16 seconds going into Madrid after three grueling weeks. “I have no regrets. We did what we could. Congratulations to Jonas; he was very strong. It's okay to finish behind him,” he remains realistic.