Why wait? UAE announces Vuelta squad just two days after the Tour with Almeida as team leader

The team, which won the Tour with Pogacar, has named João Almeida as its leader for the Tour of Spain. “He will lead the team's ambitions for the GC while building up his training following his crash in the Tour de France,” the team said in a statement.

“It’s a special feeling to start the Vuelta as team leader, especially with the form I’ve shown this season. The recovery from the Tour crash has been smooth and my sensations in training have been good. We have a strong group around us, and I believe we can fight for something big.”

“Almeida will be joined in a co-leader role by Spaniard Juan Ayuso, giving the team multiple strategic options across the three-week race,” the team announced. This means that Ayuso will finally return to “his” Tour of Spain, where he finished on the podium in 2022.

‘The Vuelta is a very special race for me, my home race. I’ve been building up my training, I’m feeling good, and I’m focused 100% on doing a good race for the team. It’s always an honour to race on home roads, and I’ll give everything to make it count. Spain always brings out something extra in me.”

In addition to Almeida and Ayuso, UAE Emirates-XRG has also selected Mikkel Bjerg, Felix Großschartner, Domen Novak, Ivo Oliveira, Marc Soler, and Jay Vine. This means that Pogacar will not be participating, although this comes as no surprise after his comments during the final week of the Tour.

"Meanwhile, Tadej Pogačar, fresh from his emphatic fourth victory at the Tour de France, will take a well-earned break before returning to competition in North America," announced the team. “The Slovenian will headline UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s squad at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal in September, leaving out the Vuelta in favour of a measured build-up to the end-of-season Classics.”

“After such a demanding Tour, we decided it was best to take a break. The Vuelta is of course a race I would dearly love to return to. I have fantastic memories there from 2019, but now the body is telling me to rest. I’m excited to go back to Canada; the races are tough but beautiful, and they fit my style well. I’ll be aiming to be back racing well again for that part of the season and for the World Championships especially.”

Finally, sports manager Matxin Fernández explains his selection. “We’re going into the Vuelta España with a clear plan built around João and Juan. Both are proven GC contenders and complement each other well. The team around them brings depth and experience that will be key in the mountains and time trials.”

“The idea this year was for Tadej to return to the Vuelta, but the season has been a long one for him. We spoke and agreed that the best thing for him now is to take a good rest and build up to his final season goals.”

João Almeida