“The work I put in over the winter has paid off” – Two-month altitude camp sacrifice delivers for 19-year-old Paul Seixas on 2026 season opener

A winter spent at altitude, largely cut off from those closest to him, was always going to demand proof. At the end of five demanding days in Portugal, Paul Seixas had his answer.

For his first race of 2026, the 19-year-old leader of Decathlon CMA CGM Team finished second overall at the Volta ao Algarve, winning a summit finish and pushing Juan Ayuso all the way to the final stage. It was not just a result. It was validation.

“It’s a great week to start the season. It makes me happy to see that the work I put in over the winter has paid off and that my sensations are better than at the same time last year,” Seixas said after the race, in quotes collected by Eurosport.

Those words land differently when you know what that winter looked like.

Seixas had spent the early part of the year at altitude in Sierra Nevada with his team, a camp disrupted by heavy snow that forced frequent indoor sessions. More strikingly, he revealed that it had been two months since he had seen his parents or his girlfriend. The reasoning was simple: sacrifice now for performance later.

Algarve was the first public test of that gamble.

On Stage 2, at the summit of Alto da Foia, Seixas claimed his first professional victory, matching the best climbers in the race and finishing it off himself. By the time the race reached the decisive final ascent of Alto do Malhao, he was no longer the promising youngster riding beyond expectations. He was Ayuso’s principal rival for the overall title.

On the last day, Seixas and his team rode with clear intent. Rather than waiting passively for time gaps, they tried to animate the race. Matthew Riccitello lifted the tempo late on the climb, and Seixas himself committed inside the final kilometre. Ayuso ultimately proved the stronger in the sprint and secured both the stage and the general classification, but the hierarchy of the race had been unmistakable.

Only one rider finished ahead of Seixas overall. That alone marks a significant shift.

A year ago, Seixas began his season in a very different role. He was there to help when required, to learn, to test himself briefly against the best. Twelve months on, he arrived in Portugal as a protected rider, and the responsibility looked natural.

His third place at the European Championships and seventh at Il Lombardia at the end of last season had already hinted at accelerated development. What Algarve confirmed is that the trajectory has not flattened over the winter. If anything, it has sharpened.

“To fight here for victory with Juan Ayuso is incredible. I’m happy to start the season like this,” Seixas reflected.

There is no need yet for grand comparisons or projections. What matters is the pattern. He has not taken a step back since turning professional. The data driven approach of his team, the altitude block, the willingness to endure isolation through the winter, all of it pointed towards this opening week.

Finishing second overall in his first race of the year does not guarantee what comes next. But as season openers go, it is difficult to imagine a clearer message.

The work has paid off.