Vuelta 2024: Two UAE leaders keen to build on Tour of Switzerland

The UAE head to the Vuelta a España with two clear leaders. As expected, it’s Adam Yates and Joao Almeida, who were number six and four in the recent Tour de France. UAE Team Emirates expects plenty of synergy between the two.

Almeida and Yates have six strong servants to support them, but as expected there is no Juan Ayuso. It is the coronavirus that continues to play tricks on him. “After the Tour, my thoughts immediately went to the Vuelta, which is close to my heart,” Ayuso told Spanish newspaper AS. “But in the weeks that followed the Tour, I did not find my level again.”

There: Filippo Baroncini, Isaac del Toro, Brandon McNulty, Pavel Sivakov, Marc Soler and Jay Fine. And the leaders? They know each other well enough by now. Not only did they help Tadej Pogacar win the Tour together, the two of them turned the entire Tour of Switzerland upside down. Yates won ahead of Almeida. And they simply split the stage wins between them.

“The Tour went exactly as planned,” explains Yates. “We rode well and got the result we wanted. Since then I’ve had a rest and prepared well for the Vuelta, which was always a big goal in the fall. João and I had a really good partnership at the Tour de Suisse and if we’re at our best now we can make the most of it.”

Almeida, who started the Vuelta in his native Portugal, also sees potential in the collaboration. “The Tour de France was a big step in my career. I’m very happy with what we achieved there, but in the Vuelta I’ll be taking the leadership role alongside Adam. We have a good relationship with my teammates, so I expect a lot from them.”

Sporting director Matxin Fernandez is certainly happy to hear such words. “We have all seen the collaboration they have done in the Tour de Suisse and the work they have done for the team in the Tour de France, so we have every confidence in their ability to deliver a great Spanish race.”