João Almeida capped off an impressive comeback at the Tour de Suisse by winning the decisive 10.1km mountain time trial to Stockhütte, a performance that also secured him the overall title. The UAE Team Emirates XRG rider overturned a 33-second deficit to Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) in dramatic fashion, crossing the line in 27:33—24 seconds faster than Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), who placed second in the stage.
Vauquelin, despite a strong ride that earned him fourth in the time trial, had to settle for second place overall—still the best WorldTour stage race result of his career. British rider Oscar Onley (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) delivered an impressive ride to finish third in the TT and leapfrog Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling) in the general classification, landing himself on the final podium.
Almeida’s overall victory was the result of a remarkable recovery. He, like several top contenders, lost significant time on stage one due to a large breakaway gaining over three minutes on the peloton. At the time, Almeida downplayed his GC chances, but his fortunes turned on stage four when he soloed to a mountain-top win in Piuro, reducing his deficit to Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ).
The following day, Almeida lost out to Onley in a two-man sprint atop Santa Maria, with Vauquelin taking the race lead. However, Almeida narrowed the gap again on stage seven with another powerful ride, and sealed his comeback with a commanding performance on the final day.
Reflecting on the win in a post-race interview with CyclingProNet, the Portuguese rider said, “It was a long road back. One mistake can cost you everything, but we stayed focused. I’m really happy. I climbed well—at one point I thought my power meter was broken because the numbers were so high.”
Almeida also praised his team for their resilience. “After the first day, things looked bad, but we kept pushing. We did everything perfectly, we believed, and in the end, we made it happen.”
He admitted to starting the time trial a little too aggressively. “I over-paced early on and didn’t have much left at the end, but it turned out to be enough.”
Looking ahead, Almeida’s attention now shifts to the Tour de France, where he will support defending champion Tadej Pogačar. “I’ll be there to help Tadej and hopefully keep this winning momentum going,” he said, having now claimed consecutive stage race victories in the Basque Country, Romandie, and Switzerland.
The time trial had moments of suspense, with Australian Harrison Sweeny (EF Education-EasyPost) setting a benchmark that held until the GC contenders hit the course. Gall eventually bested Sweeny’s time by a minute and a half, and Onley followed with a solid effort. But it was Almeida who conquered the steep 800m climb from Lake Lucerne to Stockhütte to seal both stage and overall glory.
HIGHLIGHTS
RESULTS: Stage 8
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RESULTS: GC
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