João Almeida will not take part in the Giro d'Italia, it was revealed on Monday morning, after suffering from illness in the build-up.
After it was reported in the Portuguese press on Sunday, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider posted the news on Instagram on Monday. He was one of the top favourites for the race, alongside Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike).
Later on Monday morning, it was also revealed that Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step) would also not start, due to a small pelvic fracture.
"Unfortunately I won’t be at the start of the Giro d’Italia next month as planned," Almeida wrote.
"Sickness in the past months has affected my preparations too much and has meant I just won’t quite be ready in time which is a shame as it’s a race I love so much.
"After talking it through with the team we decided it was best to take a rest period and switch focus to new goals later in the season."
"We haven’t set out those new goals yet but that will be done calmly in the next few weeks…" he continued. "For now it’s time to first rest-up a bit and build things back up slowly.
"Best of luck to the guys for the Giro, will be cheering from home."
Almeida finished second at the Vuelta a España behind Vingegaard last season, after winning three WorldTour stage races. 2026 began well, with podiums overall at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana and the Volta ao Algarve.
However, 38th at the Volta a Catalunya hinted at bigger problems, and Almeida suggested he would undergo tests to figure out the problem. "I just need to rest a bit and maybe see what’s wrong with me," he said then.
In his stead, UAE will likely line-up with Jay Vine and Adam Yates as leaders at the Giro, two riders with Grand Tour stage wins and podiums in their lockers.
In a press release from Soudal Quick-Step, Landa said: "I am obviously disappointed, as I had worked hard to come back from a difficult winter and was starting to feel good again in Itzulia. I had been experiencing some discomfort, but the type of fracture made it difficult to fully identify at first. Now that we have clarity, I can focus fully on my recovery.
"It’s a shame to miss the Giro d’Italia, especially as I was motivated to return after last year. But the priority now is to get healthy again and rebuild my condition, and then we will look ahead to new goals later in the season."
