João Almeida seems likely to start in the Tour de France on Saturday despite a broken rib. The Portuguese teammate of Tadej Pogacar fell hard in the sixth stage but, according to his team UAE Team Emirates, did not suffer any serious injuries.
In the final phase of the stage, on a descent towards the final climb of Mûr-de-Bretagne, a large group of riders crashed. Besides Almeida, Santiago Buitrago, Enric Mas, and Ben Healy were also on the asphalt. Almeida finished the stage, but was visibly in pain.
According to team doctor Adrian Rotunno, the investigation revealed that Almeida suffered an “uncomplicated rib fracture on the left side,” in addition to abrasions all over his body. “Fortunately, it’s not a concussion,” said Rotunno. “The next few days will be tough, but at the moment we expect him to be able to start on Saturday.”
Pogacar, who won the stage and regained the yellow jersey at the expense of Mathieu van der Poel, was concerned about his teammate. “It was a good day, but João crashed. If he’s okay, the day is perfect,” he said shortly after the finish.
In the general classification, Pogacar has a 54-second lead over number two Remco Evenepoel. Jonas Vingegaard is in fourth place, 1.17 minutes behind the Slovenian.
The 25-year-old Almeida is one of Pogacar’s most important helpers. Almeida and Pogacar will likely have two quieter days over the weekend. Saturday and Sunday are flat stages that seem made for the sprinters.