Almeida raises the alarm at the Vuelta

After the second week of La Vuelta España, Joao Almeida returns to the extreme heat the riders are facing in the stage race, which is mainly taking place in southern Spain: “I think the heat is limiting because we are reaching the limit of the human body , which is a bit dangerous,” Almeida revealed to Cyclingnews. “It's not easy to explain, but in a way, training in the heat is part of our preparation, so we can ride in these conditions. If you ride calmly, there are no problems: just drink lots of water and cool down. But it becomes difficult to race; it's a different situation and can certainly be dangerous. We have to take care of each other.”

“It's tough for me and it affects me a lot. I think it's the same for everyone, but some guys handle it better than others and it's one of those situations where you really can't afford to make mistakes, otherwise you find yourself in big trouble . It's affecting the riders day after day. Dehydration and the heat—you don't mess around with those.”

Almeida, who wasn't in top form at this Vuelta, is aiming for a stage win after UAE team captain Tadej Pogacar withdrew : “I'm really trying, I gave it my all to get into Saturday's breakaway. I had a virus in March and never fully recovered. I kept training and insisting I was getting back into shape, which obviously wasn't coming back. And then things got worse and worse. I crashed in Poland and then I got sick, so I didn't ride for four days : a far from ideal situation. But I think my condition is improving here, within my limits, of course, because miracles don't happen overnight. So we keep trying. We keep giving it our all. That's all I can do.”

Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency