La Vuelta 2025: Matt Stephens hails ‘best ride’ of Joao Almeida’s career after Alto de L'Angliru masterclass
Updated 05/09/2025 at 22:24 GMT+1
Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) turned in a potentially career-defining performance to win Stage 13 of La Vuelta, according to TNT experts Matt Stephens and Adam Blythe. UAE led from the front the whole way up the famous Alto de L'Angliru to gain time on overall leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and give his general classification hopes a huge boost.
Highlights: Stunning performance by Almeida secures Stage 13 win over Vingegaard
Video credit: TNT Sports
TNT Sports experts Matt Stephens and Adam Blythe were left in awe after the UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Joao Almeida produced a climbing masterclass up the iconic Alto de L'Angliru to take the Stage 13 win and ignite his general classification (GC) hopes at La Vuelta.
It came down to a battle between Almeida and leader Jonas Vingegaard, but the Visma-Lease a Bike rider had no answer to the pace being set and had to be content with sitting on the wheel of his rival.
On such a long and steep climb, riders would normally take turns on the front, but Almeida led from the base to the summit, making his victory all the more remarkable.
"It’s absolutely insane, just under 4000 metres [of] elevation, with the hardest climb in world cycling, and they're still averaging nearly 26 miles an hour. It's madness," Stephens said on The Breakaway.
"A couple of times, he [Almeida] looked around for a bit of assistance but never asked. Just kept to the job at hand. Just that self-belief ripped that group apart."
Having followed in Almeida’s wake for so long, Vingegaard, revered as one of the best climbers in the history of the sport, could have been expected to have had more in the tank in the final kilometres.
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'La Vuelta is alive!' - Almeida pips Vingegaard to thrilling Stage 13 win
Video credit: TNT Sports
However, of the two riders, Stephens believes he looked to be the one who was struggling to make a last push.
"Do you know what? I think Jonas was on the edge," he continued. "I'm sure Jonas would have wanted to win it, but the way he squeezed, even on that little downhill section, the gap opened up. I think Jonas would love to have passed him, but Almeida just had too much in the tank.
"I don't know whether that was just an honour thing and he was on the limit and thought, ‘Going by him is the wrong thing to do’.
"I think he was absolutely pinned to the wheel of Almeida. That’s the best ride Almeida has ever done. Simple as that."
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Blythe echoed Stephens’ sentiments, adding: "He just did the whole climb on the front, all the way until he crossed the finish line.
"No one came past him, no one gave him a turn. He did what he needed to do, and that’s settle into his rhythm. What a race. A 41 kilometre per hour average.
"It says a lot about the pace that Almeida was setting when Jonas Vingegaard isn't even attempting to come past you once in that climb. Chapeau, Almeida."
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‘Disappointed’ Vingegaard says ‘sorry’ to his team-mates after gruelling Stage 13
Video credit: TNT Sports
Did Almeida land a psychological blow on Vingegaard?
Despite taking the stage, Almeida only managed to gain four seconds in the battle for the red jersey, meaning he still trails Vingegaard by 46 seconds.
However, the manner of his victory, coupled with how many stages remain, means the UAE man cannot be written off.
"This is a special one. Oh, I still don't believe it," Almeida told TNT Sports. "Thanks to my team-mates. They were key today. We did an amazing stage. I just put my pace from the bottom, and I just did the best I could.
"Jonas was always on the wheel. The last kilometre I was on the limit. I guess we were both on the limit. I was waiting for his attack anytime, and I thought he was going to pass me on the finish line, but I knew the finish line from two years ago, and I took the last corner first, and then it's hard to pass.
"I think it's the hardest climb in the world. It's crazy. I’m glad it’s over."
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'I still don’t believe it – Almeida delight after triumphing on ‘hardest climb in the world’
Video credit: TNT Sports
Asked if he now has renewed hope in the GC battle, Almeida added: "Yes, of course. I still have a lot of time to make up to Jonas. He's looking phenomenal, so I think it's going to be a hard task, but we never give up."
While Vingegaard might remain the favourite for the overall title, Stephens also thinks Almeida could have landed something of a psychological blow and pinpointed where he could close the gap further on the Dane.
"We've never seen him ride as strongly as that before," Stephens said. "We're going to look at him in a slightly different way, and I tell you what, Visma-Lease a Bike, they're going to be looking at him in a slightly different way.
"We’ve still got more mountain-top finishes to come. [There is a] long way to go in this race, still, but we've got that flat TT [time trial], and I think Almeida could possibly take more time out of Jonas there."
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