João Almeida edged closer to overall leader Jonas Vingegaard in the Vuelta a España on Thursday, clawing back 10 seconds during the shortened individual time trial in Valladolid. Originally set to be 27.2 km, the stage was cut to 12.2 km, leaving Almeida 40 seconds off the red jersey with just a handful of stages remaining.
The time trial was shortened due to security risks, with organizers responding to warnings of potential large-scale protests.
“It’s not what anyone wanted, but the situation leaves us no choice,” race director Javier Guillén said. “The priority is always the safety of the riders and the fans. We must adapt to the reality on the ground.”
Local officials confirmed they had alerted organizers about the threat. “We have indications that protests will take place, and they go beyond just waving flags,” Jacinto Canales from the Valladolid municipality said. “There are radical groups in the area, and we cannot ignore the risk.”
“I did my best,” Almeida said to Eurosport. “This type of effort doesn’t suit me very well. It was a pity that the time trial was not 27 km, but it is what it is.”
Asked how he handled the sudden change, the UAE Team Emirates rider said, “We will never know what would have happened otherwise… but we can still be quite satisfied with the outcome. I felt pretty strong. As a cyclist, you are used to adapting to any scenario.”
Almeida said his approach won’t change heading into the closing stages. “It’s still the same as the first day. We do our best every day… We have to be focused and keep doing our best. That’s the only thing we can control.”
Friday’s stage is a lumpy one. Although there’s no categorized climbs, it ain’t easy.
Stage 19 goes from Rueda to Guijuelo for a total of 161.9 km. Although you think it might be a day for the sprinters, it could be one for a break–or even the GC. Saturday is also a tough stage before the final stage into Madrid.