Four Takeaways from the Volta ao Algarve

More than that, however, he has shown that Lidl-Trek made a wise investment in paying UAE to allow him to leave the team before the end of his contract. Not only did he outclimb Almeida on the race’s only significant ascent, on Thursday’s stage 2, the category 1 Alto da Foia (8.8km @ 6.2%); not only did he beat him by 37 seconds in the stage 3 19.5km ITT, and come within 6 seconds of the favorite and winner, Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers); but he also started the team’s high-speed lead-out for the stage 4 bunch sprint for the team’s sprinter, Tim Tom Teutenberg.

Any and all UAE staff members watching that must have been pinching themselves, because Ayuso was anything but a team player in his last year with UAE. But voila: meet the new Juan Ayuso, cooperative, likeable and a force to be reckoned with in the post-Pogačar years. He’s always been a talented, if inconsistent and unpredictable rider. But he’s very young and has already matured some. And if his motivation and team loyalty remain high, he will only get better.

And he had the last word in the race. Beaten by Paul Seixas (see below) on the stage 2 summit finish, he tracked Almeida when the Portuguese rider took off 2km from the finish of the race’s final climb, the Malhão (2.7km @ 8.9%), then remained patient when Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM) deposed Almeida at the front and accelerated for Seixas, waited until the young French rider took the lead, powered past him with about 200 meters left to ride and held off Oscar Onley (INEOS Grenadiers) to take a well-deserved stage victory.

“In the final, it was a very tense race, nervous,” Ayuso said afterwards. “They tried to isolate me on the first time up Malhão, but my team responded perfectly, led me into the final in the perfect position to go for the win. Normally, I would be really proud of my performance, but today they deserve it. They did an amazing job and this win is definitely for them.”

Joao Almeida — Ayuso is feeling very, very good right now after beating his former team’s leader, João Almeida, in the Volta ao Algarve by the substantial margin of 59 seconds. © Profimedia

Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM)

Barring catastrophic injury or an incomprehensible loss of form, I can say with some confidence that France will soon be able to celebrate a French winner of its signature sporting event, the Tour de France. Because, based on two stages of this race, it’s clear that 19-year-old Paul Seixas is a future superstar.

Sure, two robins don’t make a spring and two race stages don’t define a rider, but Seixas beat Ayuso and Almeida on the Alto da Foia in a manner suggesting that he is both strong and strategically wise beyond his years. Not only did he do most of the work at the front when the three riders broke away from the peloton 4km from the finish, but he also outrode and outsmarted his two more experienced rivals in the final 300 meters to register the first WorldTour victory of his career.

“It’s perfect. For the moment the first goal is already achieved – win a race, and I won today it’s so amazing,” Seixas said afterwards. “I just started to follow at first, then tried to make big rhythm, but Juan Ayuso and João Almeida wouldn’t cooperate with me, or not a lot. I was afraid we’d be caught by some riders, but in the end it was only two and one was my teammate, so I was happy. João attacked a lot, but I knew I had to wait for my moment. I did a good sprint, even if I was a bit lost with all the corners in the end, and it was way too big but I managed to take it, so I’m really happy for me and the team.”

And Seixas finished only 13 seconds behind Ganna, and 7 seconds behind Ayuso, in the stage 3 ITT, a remarkable performance at his age. (Have I mentioned that he is only 19?) If he faltered on the final stage, it’s because he is still far from the rider he eventually will be. But he certainly appears to be the complete package and has an immense upside.

Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)

France has not had many star sprinters over the years. The most successful was André Darrigade, who was active from 1952 and 1966, won 22 stages of the Tour de France and took the green jersey in 1959 and 1961. And there was
Arnaud Démare, who retired at the end of last year, won 97 races, including eight stages of the Giro d’Italia, its point s classification twice, and the Milan-Sanremo.

Now, it looks like there is a new kid on the block, the 21-year-old Magnier, who won both bunch sprints in this race with impressive displays of power that resembled that of the rider who will eventually be his biggest rival, Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan.

“It was super good,” Magnier said after his second victory, on Saturday’s stage 4. “I had a really strong feeling today, and the team did a good job of controlling the whole day. It was a bit hectic in the final because everyone was fresh and the team did a really good job, and I’m super happy to finish it off.”

The new generation is here

Seixas is 19, Magnier is 21, Ayuso is 23 and the UAE Tour, run at the same time, was dominated by 22-year-old Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates). Do you notice a trend here? Here’s another hint: Almeida is 27. That’s not old, except in road racing, where progress is exponential these days and five years make a big difference in training methods, nutrition, technology and money invested. That’s certainly one reason Almeida was so surprised by how much time he lost in the time trial to Ayuso, 37 seconds.

“I was expecting to lose a bit, but not that much,” he said. “Still, congratulations to him. I think he’s in really good shape.” That’s Almeida, though, all class. I’ve always admired him as a rider and a competitor, and this year UAE have finally given him a shot at being a team leader. But he will have to step it up over the next months to fight off the youngsters.

This weekend, in the Volta ao Algarve and the UAE Tour, has provided us a glimpse into the future of this sport, into the “post-Pogačar era,” and I really like what I saw.

Final GC Standings, 2026 Tour ao Algarve