UAE Team Emirates have confirmed that João Almeida is out of the Vuelta a España with COVID-19.
Almeida, 26, will not start Sunday's stage 9 from Motril to Sierra Nevada. The Portuguese star, third in the 2023 Giro d’Italia, had already suffered a major time loss on stage 8, won by Primož Roglič (UAE Team Emirates).
After racing the Tour de France in support of the winner Tadej Pogačar, Almeida had made a strong start in the Vuelta, finishing 10th in the opening time trial on home soil in Lisbon, then finishing alongside Roglič in the first uphill finish at Villuercas to move into second overall.
In a statement from team medical director Dr Adrian Rotunno, UAE said: "João reported feeling unwell during stage 8 of La Vuelta. After further examination and undergoing a PCR test which confirmed a Covid 19 infection, the decision has been made to withdraw him from the race in the best interest of his, the team, and the peloton’s safety. He will now travel home for recovery."
This is not the first time COVID-19 has wrecked Almeida’s chances in a Grand Tour. He already had to quit the 2022 Giro d’Italia, where he was running fourth overall, with the virus.
The team got off to a flying start thanks to Brandon McNulty winning the opening time trial, but Adam Yates, co-leader for the overall, crashed heavily on stage 6 and is now more than nine minutes adrift of race leader Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale).
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