Fans of UAE Team Emirates experienced a thrilling finish during the team time trial at the Vuelta a España on March 6, 2024. The squad entered the final 500 metres with only four riders remaining, one of whom, Marc Soler, was visibly struggling. Despite the pressure, Soler managed to maintain contact with his teammates, enabling UAE to secure victory by just eight seconds over rivals Visma-Lease a Bike.
This win places UAE’s co-leaders, Juan Ayuso and João Almeida, just eight seconds behind overall leader Jonas Vingegaard. While Vingegaard regained the top position, the UAE victory serves as a significant morale boost as the race progresses into the mountainous stages. Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike have been showing dominance from the start, with Vingegaard leading for three of the first five stages, including a first-stage win at Limone Piemonte.
As the race returned to Catalonia from France, expectations were high for Visma-Lease a Bike to excel in the lengthy time trial, especially following their earlier triumph in a similar format at Paris-Nice earlier this year. Instead, UAE’s performance showcased their potential, indicating they would pose a serious challenge to the frontrunners.
Sports Director Joxean Fernández Matxin expressed his team’s satisfaction with the win, stating, “We’re going to really enjoy this one. It’s our 74th win of the season, our team has a great attitude towards racing in general and this is a very special one.” He noted the technical nature of the course, which had changed since its initial announcement in December, requiring riders to navigate narrow sections that forced them into single file.
UAE had specifically targeted this team time trial, enlisting riders like Mikkel Bjerg, former Australian TT National Champion Jay Vine, Ivo Oliveira, and Felix Grosschartner for this challenge. Matxin acknowledged the competition posed by strong teams such as Visma, Lidl-Trek, and Ineos, confirming their status as significant rivals.
Almeida reflected on his team’s effort, emphasizing the collective nature of their achievement. “Today was a big team effort,” he said. “This doesn’t say much about how we’ll perform individually in the mountains, but it was a really nice experience, and it was great to be up there celebrating on the podium with all my teammates.”
The time gaps between the competing teams were remarkably narrow, with UAE having moments where they appeared poised to take a commanding lead. At the first checkpoint, they were on par with stage leaders Ineos. However, riders faced challenges, and some fell behind, including Domen Novak, Vine, Oliveira, and Grosschartner.
UAE’s victory marks their first team time trial win at the Grand Tour level in the history of the squad. Almeida concluded, “We knew it was good for us, but there were a lot of good teams, but I think we did a perfect job. We deserve it; it’s great for the mood in the team.”
As the race continues, Almeida is focused on the possibility of taking the overall lead from Vingegaard. “I would like to have it; it’s a beautiful jersey, I’ve never worn it before, and it doesn’t matter when I wear it, just if I can,” he remarked. With the gap now just eight seconds, both Almeida and Ayuso will be looking to capitalize on their momentum as they head into the next stages of the Vuelta a España.
