Visma | LaB sees Almeida at top level, Vingegaard slightly off: "Meant they were evenly matched"

Mørkøv is not surprised by Almeida's level of performance. “We knew that Almeida is incredibly good and has prepared well for the Vuelta, and that he is a skilled opponent,” the Dane told Feltet. “It's clear that we've had a few days where he may have ridden at his absolute best, while Jonas has ridden slightly below his best. That meant they were pretty evenly matched.”

But the sports director believes his compatriot can make the difference in the third week. There are still three mountain stages and an important time trial to come. “I believe that if Jonas has one of his very best days, he can also drop Almeida. Maybe not by a few minutes, but we believe he can break him.”

But Almeida has been better than ever this year, as evidenced by his victories in the Tour de Romandie, the Tour of the Basque Country, and the Tour de Suisse. Mørkøv is wary of the strong Portuguese rider. “There are three more uphill finishes to come, and if Almeida is better than Jonas and can drop him, there's not much we can do. Cycling is that simple. But we have to try to set Jonas up so that he can beat him.”

It's not a personal battle, and Vingegaard isn't racing with the lost Tour de France on his mind, his sports director explains. "Jonas has a lot of respect for Almeida. He's one of the best cyclists in the world, which people often forget. So it's not so much that he has to beat Almeida now because he couldn't beat Pogacar. For Jonas, it's about winning the Vuelta a España."

“It's been a big goal for him since the start of the season. So he's motivated to win the Vuelta. The fact that he has to beat Almeida doesn't motivate him anymore. He really wants to win a Grand Tour; it's been two years since he last won one, and he wants to try to win the Vuelta,” concludes Mørkøv.