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Stephen Farrand

'It's been ups and downs for me' - João Almeida struggles on return to racing, convinced he is not ready to ride Tour de France

Joao Almeida awaits the start of the 2nd stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes.

João Almeida finished last in the gruppetto on stage 1 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on Sunday and struggled again during Monday's stage, admitting that he does not have any goals for the French race as he recovers from illness and tries to rebuild his form in the hope of targeting the Vuelta a España.

The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider was expected to target the Giro d'Italia but opted not to race in Italy due to the effects of a virus. Almeida underwent blood tests following a subdued display at the Volta a Catalunya in late March. He was away from racing for nine weeks as he tried to reboot and train again.

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