Remco Evenepoel defended the overall lead he had secured the day before on the fifth and final stage of the Volta Valencia, celebrating his first stage victory in the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe jersey. Giulio Pellizzari also remained unbeatable at the top of the young rider classification. Meanwhile, Emil Herzog narrowly missed out on the stage victory, finishing second.
Emil was part of the breakaway group all day, which ultimately sprinted for victory with a minimal lead over the peloton. At one point, the 21-year-old even tried to go it alone. At the finish line, he was only half a bike length behind the winner.
Meanwhile, nothing changed in the overall standings. The team remained in control throughout the short but challenging 95 kilometres from Bétera to Valencia. Remco and Giulio were always on their guard, ensuring that the final standings remained unchanged in first and third place. With Aleksandr Vlasov in seventh place, a third professional from the team also made it into the top 10.
“It was a super good week that started well with Arne on second place. And day by day weg get better, finishing lot of stage in the front. Now we are first and third in the final GC,” Evenepoel told reporters . “It was an amazing week in Valencia.
“We are really happy with the way the Boys defended the Jersey today. First and third – Yellow and White. After Yesterday it was an objective to keep both. Especially after the time Trial that didn’t count for GC, there was a little setback. But we won it and the guys kept the morale very high.”
Second Place for João Almeida
João Almeida finished safely inside the peloton on the final day of the race to secure his position on the final podium.
It is a repeat of Almeida’s performance in last year’s edition, which preceded the best season of his career, with memorable wins at Itzulia Basque Country, the Tour de Romandie, and the Tour de Suisse. Starting his 2026 campaign with an equally strong display, Almeida looks in fine fettle to continue life as one of the peloton’s most consistent general classification riders.
On stage 5, Almeida did try to upset the applecart with a late burst in the crosswinds, but although he and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad were able to create splits in the peloton, the race leader Evenepoel stayed well-attuned. Nonetheless, the Emirati squad were able to animate the race from afar with the young neo-pro, Adrià Pericas.
The 19-year-old made the step up from the team’s Gen Z squad to its WorldTour outfit over the winter, and his talents have already shone in the early season. Pericas spent just under 70km in the breakaway at the recent Trofeo Serra Tramuntana, and was one of only two riders to follow the back wheel of Evenepoel when the Belgian bridged across to the front and made a searing attack.
“It was the first week of racing this season, and it was pretty good,” Almeida said after the stage. “The goal was, of course, to fight for the race win, and to see how the legs are for real. I think it was a good week for the team, we missed a stage win but I think we can be proud of our teamwork. Now, it is good motivation for my next races in the Algarve.”
Stage 5 Brief Results
- Raúl García Pierna (Movistar) 2:09:44
- Emil Herzog (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) s.t
- Jasper Schoofs (Soudal Quick-Step) s.t
- Adrià Pericas (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) s.t
Final General Classification
- Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) 13:10:12
- João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +31″
- Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +34″
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