Paris-Nice leader Jonas Vingegaard has delivered a succinct but cutting pushback to criticism earlier this year by João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) regarding Visma-Lease a Bike's attitude towards setbacks.
Speaking to Danish website Feltet during the Volta ao Algarve, Almeida criticised Vingegaard's decision not to race the UAE Tour in order to recover better from an off-season training accident and illness.
"I tend to think that Jonas and his team have a habit of overdoing things a bit," Almeida said at the time. "I think it's normal to get sick or have a minor crash, and I don't think it has a big impact on preparation."
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After Almeida then himself opted to scratch his planned participation at Paris-Nice because of his own illness, Vingegaard made it clear during the race that he had not forgotten the Portuguese racer's earlier comments.
"You always try to make it perfect. But the same goes for the other way around now. So you shouldn't throw stones when you live in a glass house yourself," Vingegaard told Feltet during the race.
Asked if he was referring directly to Almeida's non-participation in Paris-Nice, Vingegaard answered directly, "Yes, actually."
This is not the first time Almeida and Vingegaard have had differences of opinion about attitudes to racing.
Back in the Vuelta a España, where they had a three-week battle for overall victory, after the mountainous stage 7, Almeida made his feelings clear about what he viewed as Vingegaard's alleged failure to do as much work as he could on a climb to keep an attack going.
The Portuguese racer said he respected the Dane's lack of collaboration, but then rounded that off by saying he felt this was not the first time this had happened.
"He didn't really have to [pull], so I get it," Almeida said after the stage.
"But it is what it is. I think he doesn't really pull a lot of times, right?"
While Almeida and Vingegaard have not crossed paths in a race since the Vuelta a España last year, both riders are expected to be leading contenders in the upcoming Volta a Catalunya and then the Giro d'Italia.
Vingegaard will be making his debut in the Italian Grand Tour, whilst Almeida will be pushing to do better than his long spell in the lead in the 2020 Giro, as well as a GC podium finish behind former Jumbo-Visma racer Primož Roglič and Geraint Thomas in 2023.
Vingegaard is currently leading Paris-Nice by 3:22 over Dani Martínez (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), with three days remaining.
