Almeida Wins Tour de Romandie as Evenepoel Takes Time-Trial Finale

Joao Almeida wins the Tour de Romandie after Remco Evenepoel takes the final time-trial stage, showcasing strong performance in the Swiss cycling event.

Joao Almeida claimed the overall victory in the Tour de Romandie after finishing second to Remco Evenepoel in the final time trial in Geneva. Evenepoel won the time trial, but Almeida's consistent performance throughout the race secured his top spot.

JOÃO ALMEIDA TAKES THE OVERALL CROWN IN ROMANDIE 🇵🇹👑

The Portuguese star put in a masterful display on the TT bike to claim his second overall victory in 2025 💪 pic.twitter.com/acvFa7Y5mR

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) May 4, 2025

Reflecting on his win, Almeida said, “The goal was to win the race. What counts is the last day, right?”

The day before the time trial, Lenny Martinez, a specialist climber, outpaced Almeida in a grueling mountain-top stage.

Going into Sunday's time trial, Martinez held a narrow lead, sitting two seconds ahead of Lorenzo Fortunato and three seconds ahead of Almeida.

Remco Evenepoel dominated the 17.1km time trial, winning the stage with a time of 20 minutes and 33 seconds. Joao Almeida finished second-fastest, 12 seconds behind Evenepoel. Lenny Martinez finished 13th, 41 seconds behind the winner.

Evenepoel's victory was part of his preparation for the Tour de France, having returned from a four-month injury layoff. Despite limited stage racing experience, he finished eighth overall. “I knew I was coming to this race with some up and down form, so I didn't have big ambitions. I was mainly focusing on today's stage,” he said. “I still have more than two months before the Tour de France, so I have to be patient and work day by day.”

Australian rider Jay Vine moved up to third place overall, while Martinez secured second place despite a strong challenge from Almeida in the final time trial.