UAE Team Emirates will be led by Joao Almeida and Adam Yates in the final Grand Tour of the season, the Vuelta a Espana which starts from Lisbon, Portugal, on August 17 and finishes three weeks later in Madrid on September 8.
Joao Almeida comes into this race fresh from a great run of success, having placed 4th overall in his Tour de France debut and helping Pogačar to victory. Adam Yates, who came in 6th overall and had a brilliant Tour de France career, will also be aiming for the overall win alongside Almeida.
Adam Yates: “Obviously the Tour went to plan. I think personally and as a team we rode really well and got the results we wanted. Since then we’ve had a bit of rest and have now started to prepare for the Vuelta, which is one of our big goals later in the year. Me and Joan had a good partnership in Switzerland and if we’re both at our best or one of us is in the running to win I think we’ll be ready to give our best. We have a quality team here and I think and hope we can fight for big results in the coming weeks.”
The pair enjoyed great success together at the Tour de Suisse in June and will be hoping to repeat that feat in Spain.
Joao Almeida: “It’s a dream to start a Grand Tour in Portugal. I’m very happy to start in Lisbon and to be able to pass through my hometown. Having the support of the local crowd, family and friends will be something special and a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
“I think the Tour de France was a big step in my career and I’m really proud of what I achieved there. Now I’m in the leadership role with Adam in the Vuelta and I think it’s going to be a great race for us because we have a good relationship between us and all my teammates. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Promising young rider Isaac Del Toro will make his highly anticipated Grand Tour debut alongside an experienced team that includes Joao Almeida, Filippo Baroncini, Isaac Del Toro, Brandon McNulty, Pavel Sivakov, Mark Sorrell, Jay Vine and Adam Yates.