Juan Ayuso left no doubts about who was strongest rider at the Volta ao Algarve. On Sunday, February 22, the Spanish rider powered to victory on the final climb to Malhão, winning the fifth and last stage – and with it, the overall title.
Riding for Lidl-Trek, Ayuso began the day in Faro wearing the yellow jersey, just seven seconds ahead of Frenchman Paul Seixas. By the time the peloton reached Olhão at km 7, he had already picked up a bonus second at an intermediate sprint, slightly extending his lead.
But the real test came on the steep slopes of Malhão. In a tight sprint at the top, Ayuso beat Britain’s Oscar Onley of Ineos Grenadiers and Seixas, who had earlier won the stage to Fóia. All three crossed the line in the same time. Portugal’s João Almeida of UAE Team Emirates was fourth, just four seconds back.
Overall, Ayuso secured the yellow jersey by 14 seconds over Seixas, with Almeida 59 seconds behind in third. Onley finished fourth at 1.40 minutes.
It was Ayuso’s first victory with Lidl-Trek, the American team he joined at the start of the year after a controversial early exit from UAE Team Emirates.
Almeida had promised to attack and “give everything to the limit of my strength” on the final day, and he delivered. With 40 kilometres to go, on the first passage up Malhão, he split the peloton with a sharp acceleration, reducing the main group to just a handful of riders. Crucially, both Ayuso and Seixas were still there, and Almeida had no teammates left to support him.
He briefly eased off to assess the situation, then launched another move in the final 300 metres of the climb. It was not enough to break his rivals.
Further drama followed on the descent. Kevin Vauquelin and Florian Lipowitz bridged across to the leaders after Maximilian Schachmann crashed on a corner, leaving Julian Alaphilippe briefly alone at the front. A regrouping came with 30 kilometres to go, as teams reorganised for one last push.
Two Lidl-Trek riders returned to help Ayuso, while UAE Team Emirates worked to set up Almeida, with Brandon McNulty taking turns at the front. A small breakaway threatened briefly, but their advantage never grew beyond 30 seconds.
On the final ascent of Malhão – 2.6 kilometres at an average gradient of 9% – the race exploded. The escapees were caught at the base. Felix Grosschartner set a hard tempo, preparing the ground for Almeida’s steady but relentless acceleration. One by one, riders dropped away.
With one kilometre left, five riders were still in contention. Then Matthew Riccitello attacked, stretching the group and setting up a tense finale. Onley made his move, aiming for the stage win, but Ayuso responded immediately. In the final metres, the Spaniard surged ahead to take both the stage and the overall victory.
