João Almeida faces challenges upon racing return

João Almeida admitted to struggling upon his return to racing, stating, "It's been ups and downs for me." He expressed his conviction that he is not ready to ride in the Tour de France. Almeida finished last in the gruppetto on stage 1 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and again struggled during Monday’s stage, revealing he has no specific goals for the French race as he recovers from an illness and attempts to rebuild his form for the Vuelta a España, his main target for the 2026 Grand Tour season.

The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider had initially expected to participate in the Giro d'Italia but chose to skip the race due to the lingering effects of a virus. After a lackluster performance at the Volta a Catalunya in late March, he underwent blood tests and spent nine weeks away from competitive racing, focusing on his recovery and training. "I don't have any goals, I'll see how I feel," Almeida told CyclingProNet ahead of the first stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, which was formerly known as the Critérium du Dauphiné.

In reflecting on his return, Almeida stated, "I've kept training for a while, but things were not really going well. I stopped, then three or four weeks ago, I started training again and here I am. Now I'm feeling good, that’s the most important thing."

Teammate Tadej Pogacar is preparing for a potential fifth victory in the Tour de France in July, but due to Almeida's struggles, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG has yet to finalize its eight-rider roster. Isaac del Toro is competing alongside Pogacar at the Tour and leads at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, while Pogacar is scheduled to ride in next week’s five-day Tour de Suisse.

Almeida indicated uncertainty about participating in the Tour de France, saying, "I feel I wouldn't be ready," referencing the amount of preparation required for such a challenging event. He noted, "Regardless of whether you're going to achieve a result or to work hard, you have to be in your best shape, because otherwise, it's not possible to achieve much."

Almeida also discussed his potential race calendar for 2026, indicating that it did not include the Tour de France but mentioned plans to compete in events like the Clásica San Sebastián, Vuelta a Burgos, and the Vuelta a España, followed by the Road World Championships in Canada.