Joao Almeida pulls out of 2026 Giro d'Italia after sickness, further cementing Jonas Vingegaard as favourite

Joao Almeida has pulled out of next month's Giro d'Italia due to sickness, further cementing Jonas Vingegaard as the overwhelming favourite for the maglia rosa, while Mikel Landa will also miss the race.

Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) last competed at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya in March, finishing over 20 minutes down on race winner Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike).

Vingegaard is the big favourite to complete his Grand Tour collection in Italy, with Almeida's team-mate Tadej Pogacar focused on his Tour de France title defence in July.

"Unfortunately I won’t be at the start of the Giro d’Italia next month as planned," Almeida said on social media.

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"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… For now, it’s time to first rest up a bit and build things back up slowly."

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Adam Yates and Jay Vine are now expected to lead UAE's general classification charge in Italy.

Almeida has competed at the Giro on four occasions, finishing third in 2023.

He finished second to Vingegaard at the protest-interrupted Vuelta a Espana last year and has seven top-10 finishes in Grand Tours.

Landa also absent with 'small pelvis fracture'

Landa (Soudal Quick-Step) will also miss the race with a "small pelvis fracture".

The Spaniard suffered the injury after being hit by the race doctor's car during Stage 2 of Itzulia Basque Country earlier this month.

"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," he said.

"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."

The 36-year-old added: "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."

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Landa has twice finished on the podium at the Giro but is in the twilight of his career.

"Mikel endured a disrupted winter due to illness, which delayed the start of his season, before making his return to racing at Volta a Catalunya, last month," read a team statement.

"In April, during Stage 2 of Itzulia Basque Country, he was involved in an incident with an organisation vehicle. Although he was able to finish the stage, it was decided that he would not continue in the race.

"Under the supervision of the team’s medical staff, Mikel has since undergone further examinations, which have revealed a small pelvic fracture.

"Due to the nature of the injury, it was not easily identifiable initially, but subsequent checks have now provided a clear diagnosis. The fracture has already begun to heal but will require a further period of recovery."

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