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Tadej Pogačar’s Tour de France superdomestique is banged up bad and in survival mode until Tuesday’s rest day.

João Almeida told French Eurosport ahead of stage 8 he’s hanging by a thread after he smashed his hand and suffered an “uncomplicated rib fracture” on Friday.

“I’m going to try to recover as much as possible,” Almeida said Saturday morning from Saint-Méen-le-Grand. “I’m really not in a good state, my fingers are badly affected. I’m having trouble riding my bike because of that.

“The team told me to ride where I wanted today and think about myself,” Almeida said. “I won’t be able to do much to help my teammates anyway. I’m just going to try to get through the day.”

Almeida was one of many riders who hit the tarmac on Friday in a dramatic high-speed crash that blighted the final of a spectacular 7th stage.

Jack Haig and Eddie Dunbar were both forced to exit with the injuries they sustained in the pile-up.

“I have nothing broken even though I fell at very high speed,” Almeida said Saturday. “I have many wounds, but I try to think positively. I am lucky to be at the start.”

Força João #TDF2025#WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/yDE4B5Eqie

— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) July 12, 2025

Pogačar will be calling on Almeida for super team battle in the Pyrénées

Almeida’s dream at a Tour de France podium finish are over. The 26-year-old is now 10 minutes back and suffering all sorts of bangs and scrapes.

But what’s the bigger picture for Pogačar, UAE Emirates-XRG, and their bubbling brawl with Jonas Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike?

Almeida rode into Le Tour on hot form and poised to play wingman No.1 in the high mountains. He’s UAE’s answer to Simon Yates, Matteo Jorgenson, and Sepp Kuss.

Pogačar hasn’t shown a hint of weakness so far at this year’s Tour, but the “Killer Bees” are threatening to sting when the race hits the Pyrénées next week.

UAE Emirates-XRG will want every climbing watt in its arsenal should Visma-Lease a Bike launch one of its characteristic multi-rider mountain plays.

Almeida will need to draw every percentage of his body’s capacity to recover over this weekend of bunch sprints before a grueling medium mountain stage Monday. A rest day on Tuesday will give him further breathing room.

And he’ll need it.

Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike will be waiting for any hint of weakness in a second week through the high mountains.