“I think today they deserve the spotlight”: Juan Ayuso raves about Lidl-Trek after winning the Volta ao Algarve

The Volta ao Algarve 2026 concluded this Sunday with a decisive fifth stage in which Juan Ayuso had to defend the yellow jersey. The route featured a double ascent of the Alto do Malhão, the final 2.6-kilometre climb at 9% average, where the Spaniard covered every move and went on to win the stage as well.

After the finish, Ayuso described the tension from the very start: “I think from start to finish it was a stressful, tense day. From the first moment, from the intermediate sprint, my job was to mark Paul [Seixas] and he went for the sprint, so I had to respond. He tried to take a few seconds and I answered.”

He highlighted the collective work against attempts by teams like Red Bull and INEOS to unsettle the race: “I’m very proud of how the team responded all day. We had the pressure and we controlled everything. We saw big attacks from very strong teams like Red Bull and INEOS, trying to make their moves, trying to get their guys up the road and put pressure on us. Thanks to my teammates we managed it perfectly.”

Ayuso had Héctor Alvaréz and Carlos Verona with him on a key moment of the stage, which firstly allowed the team to control his yellow jersey; but then also put him in position to eventually win the stage. “The finale was also very tense and nervous. They tried to leave me alone on the first climb to Malhao, but the team responded perfectly. [Lennard] Kamna, Carlos and Héctor did a great job, they came back, put in a big effort, controlled the race and dropped me off in the perfect position to go for the win.”

Ayuso resisted the attacks of Almeida and Paul Seixas on the final climb, before beating Oscar Onley to the line on the summit finish. The Spaniard was keen to shift the spotlight to his teammates after the victory: “Normally I’d be proud of my own race, but today they deserve the show. This win is for them.”

With the aid of Matthew Riccitello on the final climb, Paul Seixas had the legs to put Juan Ayuso under pressure, but didn't have the same explosiveness as in the Alto da Fóia. The Frenchman had to settle for third on the day, which solidified his second place in the final overall classification.

“We finish this week in the Algarve with a very positive outcome. It was my first race of the season; I was able to get back into rhythm with my teammates and take my first professional victory," the Frenchman said in a statement shared by Decathlon CMA CGM Team.

"Everyone did a great job to help me maintain my 2nd place in the overall classification. On this final stage, I tried to win again, but I had to settle for third place in the sprint. It was a very beautiful race for both the team and myself.”