The 2026 Giro d’Italia starts in just a few weeks, and the general classification battle has already lost one of its biggest heavyweights.
Portuguese GC star João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) took to Instagram on Monday morning to confirm that he has officially pulled the plug on his Giro ambitions. An unspecified illness, which makes our minds immediately cast to diarrhea, has derailed his spring build-up, leaving the 27-year-old undercooked ahead of the first Grand Tour of the season.
“Sickness in the past months has affected my preparations too much and has meant I just won’t quite be ready in time, which is a shame as it’s a race I love so much,” Almeida stated. Fair. We always enjoy watching him in this race too.
Warning Signs in Catalunya
If you followed the Volta a Catalunya late last month, this announcement won’t come as a shock. Almeida was a shadow of his usual self, putting in a subdued performance that lacked his signature climbing pace.
At the time, Almeida admitted that something was wrong but couldn’t quite diagnose the issue, noting that he needed to “rest a bit and maybe see what’s wrong with me” while awaiting the results of blood tests. Whatever those tests revealed it was enough to completely scrap a Grand Tour peak.
It’s a disappointment for the GC narrative. After finishing on the podium at the Vuelta a España last year behind Jonas Vingegaard, Almeida was tipped as the main man capable of taking the fight directly to the Dane in Italy this May.
A Tour de France?
So, what happens to a Almeida when his primary spring target goes up in smoke? Probably, he gets sent to the Tour de France to work in the Pogacar victory mine.
While Almeida noted that he and the team “haven’t set out those new goals yet,” the writing is on the wall. UAE Team Emirates is focused on ensuring Tadej Pogačar wins the Tour de France and joins the exclusive club of five time winners.
With his Giro campaign abandoned, Almeida has time to rest, recover, and slowly rebuild his form. By the time July rolls around, expect to see the Portuguese star slotted into the UAE mountain train, riding at 400 watts on the front of the peloton to set up Pogačar’s attacks.