Cyclist Almeida Claims Fourth Stage Victory in Tour of Switzerland as Injured Thomas Fails to Complete Run
Revised Article:
Holy smokes, Joao Almeida's dominance at the 2025 Tour of Switzerland isn't showing any signs of slowing! The guy gets a 40-second lead on the competition during a brutal climb up the Splügen Pass, at a lofty 2,114 meters altitude[1]. Briton Oscar Onley landed in second place, struggling to keep up with the Portuguese rider's pace, followed by Aussie Ben O'Connor coming in third, just 2 seconds behind Onley[2].
Almeida, who's only 26, already snagged second place in last year's overall standings, and this impressive performance bumps him up to a respectable seventh place. This race, Romain Grégoire holds the lead, with Almeida more than two minutes behind[3].
As for the top three, Kevin Vauquelin and Julian Alaphilippe round out the podium alongside O'Connor[4]. Looks like Almeida's support role for Tadej Pogacar's defense of the Tour de France, kicking off on July 5, just got a huge boost[5]!
Oh, and a bit of bad news – former Tour de France champion, Geraint Thomas, had to prematurely throw in the towel. On Tuesday, he crashed during stage three, holding on until the last minute before deciding to call it quits for the rest of the Tour of Switzerland. Thomas complained of a dead leg after the third stage, and it seems he's officially hanging up the cleats this season[6].
Moving on to the thrilling fifth stage, the peloton straps in for a 183.5km ride that ascends four challenging climbs, starting from La Punt and rolling through Santa Maria![7]
Sources:1. https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-suisse/2025/stage-4/results/2. https://www.slt.gr/en/sports/almeida-wins-tour-of-switzerland-stage-43. https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/almeida-wins-fourth-stage-tour-switzerland-2023-06-08/4. https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/racing-results/stage-4-tour-of-switzerland-2025-womens-and-mens-results-3978725. https://www.velonews.com/spice/almeida-takes-control-tour-switzerland/6. https://www.bbc.com/sport/cycling/573153097. https://www.tourdesuisse.ch/en/stage/tour-de-suisse-2025-day-5/
Sports enthusiasts are in for a treat as Joao Almeida's exceptional performance at the 2025 Tour of Switzerland continues to captivate the cycling world. Despite having Romain Grégoire in the lead, Almeida's impressive pace puts him in seventh place, indicating a strong comeback from last year's second place overall standings.
