UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Almeida finishes second overall at ‘Volta Comunitat Valenciana’

VALENCIA, 9th February, 2026 (WAM) — Rounding off a week of consistent performances, João Almeida finished safely inside the peloton on the final day of the Volta Comunitat Valenciana, securing his position on the final podium.

After pushing race winner Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe close on Saturday’s hilly stage to Teulada Moraira, Almeida concluded the five-day stage race in second place.

The result mirrors Almeida’s performance in last year’s edition, which preceded the best season of his career, highlighted by victories at Itzulia Basque Country, the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Suisse. Opening his 2026 campaign with another strong display, Almeida appears well placed to continue his status as one of the peloton’s most consistent general classification riders.

On stage five, Almeida attempted to disrupt the race with a late acceleration in the crosswinds. Although he and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates succeeded in creating splits in the peloton, race leader Evenepoel remained alert. Nevertheless, the Emirati squad animated the race from distance through young neo-professional Adrià Pericas.

The 19-year-old stepped up from the team’s Gen Z squad to its WorldTour roster over the winter, and his talent has already been evident early in the season. Pericas spent nearly 70 kilometres in the breakaway at the recent Trofeo Serra Tramuntana and was one of only two riders able to follow Evenepoel’s wheel when the Belgian bridged across to the front with a powerful attack.

At the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Pericas worked tirelessly in support of his teammates throughout the week, before earning an opportunity to test himself on stage five as the route tackled the steep slopes of the Port del Garbí, a 5.1-kilometre climb averaging 7.1 percent.