Almeida podiums on first Vuelta mountain test

Joao Almeida put in a strong performance on the grueling summit finish of stage 4 of the Vuelta España to mark his place at the front of affairs amongst the GC favourites.

The Portuguese all-rounder took 3rd place on Pico Villuercas on the stage which packed over 3’500 metres of climbing as Primoz Roglic (Red Bull Bora) took a trademark victory from the reduced group and steps into the race lead. As the group turned onto the steeper slopes within the final 5km it was Pavel Sivakov who put the pressure on the front, forcing a chase from the group behind which quickly reduced the numbers.

Almeida then battled his way to the front with his consistent rhythm to overcome what he said was one of his hottest ever days on a bike.

Almeida : ” It was a very hot day, maybe one of the hottest days I’ve ever been on the bike. The team did a great job to help us stay cool with bottles and ice to keep the hydration up. Coming into the last climb the team put me in the perfect position and we could start in the front. The climb was super hard and really steep. I found good legs and managed to finish 3rd on the stage. Let’s keep the ball rolling and aim to do even better.”

UAE Team Emirates also lead the overall teams classification heading into the mostly flat stage 5 from Fuente del Maestre to Sevilla(177km).

Stage 4 results

1.Primoz Roglic (Red Bull Bora) 4:26:49

2.Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Dstny) s.t

3.Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) s.t

General Classification post stage 4 

1.Primoz Roglic (Red Bull Bora) 14:33:08

2.Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) +8”

3.Enric Mas (Movistar) +32”