"I was just unlucky" - Almeida hopes to turn around a nightmare season

If there's one rider who could use a bit of luck, it's definitely João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). The 28-year-old Portuguese's 2026 season has been a relentless string of bad luck: a Grand Tour podium finisher who simply can't seem to find consistency.

The men's elite road race in Montreal had shown no signs of recovery for the Portuguese. Almeida was dropped on the seventh of twelve scheduled laps on the hilly 13.3km circuit, a terrain that would normally be his daily bread.

"I felt really bad right from the start," Almeida admitted. "I just didn't have the legs today."

A familiar refrain. Back in March, Almeida was searching for answers as to why he was feeling so ill during the Volta a Catalunya. He'd started the season well, with podium finishes at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana and the Volta ao Algarve, but since having to withdraw from Paris-Nice due to flu symptoms, the entire year has been a constant struggle.

In April, he had to withdraw from the Giro d'Italia . Then, even before his disappointing performance at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, he had already abandoned plans to ride the Tour de France in support of Tadej Pogačar. Instead, he took two months off from competition, only to crash on his return at the Tour de Pologne.

For a rider who boasts two podium finishes in the Grand Tours and has reached fourth place overall in the Tour de France, this lack of results is perplexing.

"I was just unlucky, honestly. I crashed in Poland, then I got sick right before the Vuelta. So yeah, my training consistency this year has been practically zero," Almeida explained. "I always have setbacks, so it's hard to build fitness this way."

His team also appears to have picked up some of Almeida's curse, with Pogačar crashing while wearing the red jersey at the Vuelta on stage eight, and the team losing three more men along the way, with the depth of the squad being put to the test.

There was, however, a glimmer of hope. Almeida was third fastest in the individual time trial of the eighteenth stage of the Vuelta, a sign that could bode well for the future.

"The team has been incredibly supportive, so I can't wait to give back some of their efforts and trust," Almeida said. "It was tough, but I'll get through it." "I'll do everything I can, as always. I'll work hard to get back to normal and hope to win some races."

Almeida will represent Portugal at this weekend's European Championships and will look to turn around his disappointing and challenging 2026 season.