Unfortunately for him, Jonas Vingegaard will have to wait a little longer before giving the teddy bear to his son. The Alto de Angliru remains a taboo and, after second place in 2023 behind Primoz Roglic, this time he has to bow to Joao Almeida.
The Portuguese triumphs over the Asturian giant UAE Emirates who perhaps bagged the most important victory of his career, for how it came about and for who he defeated. A victory that cements him, if there was ever any need, among the greats.
The consecration of Almeida
The stage goes according to plan: escape from afar, inside there is also Gianmarco Garofoli and he also makes an attempt to Antonio Tiberi. Behind Red Bull-Bora e UAE that are closing. The brief stop for the pro-Palestinian protest didn't matter much: as a group, they were going much faster.
The climb to Angliru soon turns into a time trial: Almeida against everyone. One after another, he overtook them. The only one to have put him in trouble, even for a few meters, was paradoxically his teammate Felix Grossschartner. After Vine's great work, the Austrian had changed pace, and Joao wisely didn't follow him. It could have been a warning bell, so much so that in house Visma-Lease a Bike, that is, Vingegaard himself and Sepp kuss, which regenerates on these ramps, was immediately confabulated. Perhaps the American had advised his leader to attack.
Vuelta reopened
But Jonas didn't do it. The question is why. Was it too early? Didn't he have the energy? In the end, the sprint everyone was hoping for didn't come. In the final kilometer of the climb, he too was with his back to the pack, and in the sprint, despite staying right behind, he wasn't able to overtake the Portuguese, who had also managed to gain position in the final corners.
But one aspect struck me most of all: Jonas's face after the finish line. When he climbed onto his time trial bike for the cool-down rollers, his expression was telling. Lifting his leg to get on the saddle must have been an extra, tremendous effort for the Dane. That grimace of pain could say a lot.
After all, the Dane is the only one of the big names in the rankings (together with Gall) to have run the Tour de France at full speed. And the energies, we saw it also with Tadej pogacarIn this cycling world, you really pay. Even if you're a superhero. In this sense, tomorrow's stage, still uphill, will say a lot.
The two are now separated by 46", but Almeida's morale is on the rise and Vingegaard's is perhaps creaking...
That final kilometer…
It seems strange to say this after what happened with Juan Ayuso During the week, but Matxin and Gianetti's team showed a truly united spirit. With the exception of Ayuso, everyone did their part. Just as they worked for Pogacar, they did the same for Almeida.
"The team worked perfectly," Joao said. "I'm super happy with how it went. It's an incredible victory. Is it the most important of my career? I just thought about pushing, about taking my own pace and in the last kilometer I went beyond the limit.».
«We did an excellent team work – he underlined Matxin to Eurosport – the guys rode their best, and with the breakaway, it wasn't easy to control the gap. Joao's victory is special; this is a prestigious achievement. Today we wanted to win the stage, and we did it. On the radio, we told him to push, to stay focused, that he was going strong.
Marcato is enjoying himself
Meanwhile, the riders are arriving one by one. The Angliru is a deadly judge and splits the race like few other climbs in the world. Marco Marcato, sports director of UAE, enjoys the moment: "This win makes it three. Angliru is an icon, and a win like this is a huge morale booster. Even more so because you beat Vingegaard, the best in the world in certain arrivals after Tadej. We're really satisfied. Joao took it head on, and hats off to him."
Marcato also discussed tactics. During the climb, there were concerns about whether Almeida's steady pace might favor Vingegaard. But apparently, it was all planned.
«The tactic was this – explains Marcato – Joao is a consistent rider and we had to prevent a pure climber like Jonas from attacking, so we decided to set a strong pace. It didn't matter if the other rider stayed close behind, because on those slopes and at those speeds, slipstreaming matters little. It was a choice that paid off in the end.
«Vuelta reopened? For us, it had never been closed. The gap between the two is now 46 seconds, and there are still many tough stages to go until Madrid. We'll try again, but we have to make do with our remaining energy."
The energy balance
And with this sentence, Marcato opens another chapter: that of energy, which we've already mentioned. In theory, the balance should tip in favor of the Portuguese, who left the Tour almost immediately. However, one fact should not be overlooked in the analysis of the climb: the recovery of Hindley and Kuss in the finale, a sign that those in front were tired.
«Eh – sighs Marcato – that's the idea, but so far we haven't seen this decline from Vingegaard. It's true, however, that he also struggled today, otherwise he would have attacked. We have to be careful, because a final climb like tomorrow's is more suited to someone like Jonas.
We're continuing on our path. I want to highlight the work of the guys, from Novak to Grossschartner, from Vine to Oliveira... everyone. This morning we were all behind Joao. We weren't under any pressure: we were in a good position in the general classification and had already won five stages. But we did what we had to do well, especially before the Angliru, when we took the technical descent of the Cordal in front to best bring him to the foot of the climb. Then Almeida did the rest, putting his heart and soul into it."
