The street that will give to the house of João Almeida in A-Dos-Francos is very stressed, is one of those stoned streets and typical of Portuguese villages. It was in that area that John began to ride a bicycle, getting used to the slope, suffering, knowing the signs that the body giving.
In 2025, Almeida is a consolidated corridor, one of the best in the world, reaches 27 at a point of physical, psychological and competitive maturity. Perhaps taking the memories of the ramps of Francos, Portuguese went to a mythical place of cycling to leave a show for memory, an exhibition for the history books of the sport.
Angliru begins to be fearsome by the sound, is named after a dwelling band history villain, and becomes martyrdom to the legs. It rises, rises, rises, in paths for goats, not for people, who even walk have difficulties. On top of the bicycle, Almeida took the lead of the favorite group at Vuelta in the last 6 kilometers and no longer left.
Jai Hindley, only the winner of Giro 2022, and Kuss, only the best mountain wide of this generation, took off 4.5 kilometers from the goal. Joao Almeida and Jonas Vingegaard, who is just a two-time champion of the tour, were, the only man who dare to question Tadej Pogačar’s statute, the solo.
João Almeida pedaled in his style, constant rhythm, sitting, tape in his nose. Looking killer, possessed, Mirada de Patrícia Sampaio. The Danish, with glasses on his face, hid the game, disguised the suffering that is impossible not to feel. The most expressive Portuguese even sketched a smile when he saw the enormous Portuguese support.
The pair was joined to Cueña Les Capes, the hardest ramp, where one reaches 23% slope, is a mountain animal zone, not for people in tight shirts to the body and giving to the pedal. John forced, Jonas endured. In the end, already in descent, Almeida maintained the leadership that never dropped, grabbing it as a predator. Step conquered, time of bonuses achieved, distance to reduced vingegaard.
We say it without fears: it is possible for a Portuguese to win a great return, something that never happened, a feat that even Joaquim Augustine obtained. It will be very difficult, there is a legend on the other side, 46 seconds to nullify. But those who go up can only dream, because the dream gains realistic touches.
Dario Belingheri
Running away from what is often seen in Vuelta, the step was not monopuertothere was no ramps to the Angliru sky as the only difficulty. In the 202.7 kilometers that ripped from Cabezón de la Sal there was a lot of Asturian harshness, with the ascensions to the Mozqueta (6.3 kilometers to 8.4% average pendant) and to Cordal (5.5 kilometers to 8.8%) to take the favorites to the “climb that never ends” – words of João Almeida, at the outset – with a lot of accumulated wear.
The green landscapes of Asturias, with their pueblos scattered by the mountains, They were the scene of a large escape, in which he rode Ivo Oliveira, on the 29th anniversary day. Matxin, boss of UAE, promised that, from now on, the distractions in the team, that the priority would be to protect João Almeida, which would concentrate the attention of the Multipolar Set. However, Juan Ayuso did not want to know much of the race when he did not have it as a protagonist, quickly taking off the main group and continuing a Vuelta in which he seems to have allergies to Almeida, since or or walks ahead of Portuguese, Or walks back, never close.
Three kilometers from the beginning of the climb to Angliru as Pro-Palestinian manifestations They came back to the vuelta again, with a small group to block the passage of Nicolas Vinokurov (son of the mythical Kazakh who won this competition in 2006), Jefferson Cepeda and Bob Jungels, the escape resistant. The shot would reach the monster from 12.4 kilometers to 9.8% of average pendant with Ivo Oliveira, in great effort, working for João Almeida, followed by Jay Vine and Großschartner in the collective work in favor of the illustrious Francos citizen that, today, the UAE performed.
Dario Belingheri
The team launched the consistent offensive of the second classified. When the Caldense made the left curve that leads to Angliru’s most colossal wall, Vingegaard seemed to give in, it was just another little, but the champion of the tour 2022 and 2023 did not drop the wheel of those looking to steal his red nightgown.
It was the 13th time that a Portuguese won at Vuelta, being Almeida the ninth national corridor to do so. It is the 10th victory of the Emirates man in 2025.
“I don’t believe it yet,” said João upon arrival after a “special victory” in which he considers to be “the hardest climb in the world.” About the dispute for reaching the highest place of the final podium in Madrid, the Portuguese says that “Jonas looks phenomenal”, so it will be “an arduous task”. “But we will not give up,” he says.
Near the steep street of the house of John in A-Dos-Francos was erected the monument in honor of the illustrious son of the land. One day, when we remember reason for that statue, it will be impossible not to talk about Angliru 2025.
Worth a look
