UAE Team Emirates have confirmed that João Almeida is out of the Vuelta a España with COVID-19.
Almeida, 26, will not start Sunday's stage 9 from Motril to Sierra Nevada. The Portuguese star, third in the 2023 Giro d’Italia, had already suffered a major time loss on stage 8, won by Primož Roglič (UAE Team Emirates).
After racing the Tour de France in support of the winner Tadej Pogačar, Almeida had made a strong start in the Vuelta, finishing 10th in the opening time trial on home soil in Lisbon, then finishing alongside Roglič in the first uphill finish at Villuercas to move into second overall.
He continued in a podium position throughout the following week, but was seen weaving around at the back of the peloton on stage 8 even before the short final climb to Cazorla, where he lost 4:53 and plummeted to 26th.
In a statement from team medical director Dr Adrian Rotunno, UAE said: "João reported feeling unwell during stage 8 of La Vuelta. After further examination and undergoing a PCR test which confirmed a Covid 19 infection, the decision has been made to withdraw him from the race in the best interest of his, the team, and the peloton’s safety. He will now travel home for recovery."
This is not the first time COVID-19 has wrecked Almeida’s chances in a Grand Tour. He already had to quit the 2022 Giro d’Italia, where he was running fourth overall, with the virus.
With morale high after winning the Giro and Tour, the exit of Almeida leaves one of the strongest pre-race squads, UAE Team Emirates, struggling to impact on the GC at the Vuelta.
The team got off to a flying start thanks to Brandon McNulty winning the opening time trial, but Adam Yates, co-leader for the overall, crashed heavily on stage 6 and is now more than nine minutes adrift of race leader Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale).
It remains to be seen whether teammate Isaac del Toro, currently their best placed rider at 6:32 down but riding his first ever Grand Tour, will shift towards a GC strategy or if UAE now opt to focus on stage wins.
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