Cyclingflash
Leader Juan Ayuso caps off Volta ao Algarve with stage win, Oscar Onley second

Leader Juan Ayuso caps off Volta ao Algarve with stage win, Oscar Onley second

Double celebration for Juan Ayuso. The Spaniard won Sunday’s final stage of the Volta ao Algarve and thereby secured the overall victory. On the Alto da Malhão, he outpaced Oscar Onley and Paul Seixas in the sprint. Thymen Arensman, who was fifth overall before the last stage, had to drop off early and lost over a minute. Jarno Widar finished seventh.

The final stage of the Volta ao Algarve finished on the famous Alto da Malhão (2.7 kilometers at 8.9%). The climb was included twice in total during the last stage, as the peloton also had to tackle the Malhão at 45 kilometers from the finish. This climb has often produced unexpected moments in the past. Would leader Juan Ayuso be dethroned from the yellow jersey? Paul Seixas, who was second overall just seven seconds behind, was certainly going to give it his all.

Breakaway with Schachmann and Alaphilippe
There was intense racing from the start. Many riders attacked, including Arnaud De Lie, Huub Artz, and Filippo Ganna. This tough opening eventually produced a strong breakaway group. It consisted of five riders: Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step), Jan Tratnik (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Tobias Bayer (Alpecin–Premier Tech), Luca Van Boven (Lotto Intermarché), and Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor).

The five gained more than two and a half minutes, which put Schachmann virtually in the overall lead. The German, who started the stage one minute and 45 seconds behind Juan Ayuso, was having a good day. On the first ascent of Alto da Malhão, he managed to break away from his fellow escapees together with Alaphilippe. Meanwhile, the action was heating up in the peloton as well.

Almeida pushes on, Schachmann crashes
João Almeida increased the pace, causing the group to splinter significantly. Some big names, including Thymen Arensman, were dropped. However, the pace eased on the summit and many riders managed to come back. At this point, two other riders, Kévin Vauquelin and Florian Lipowitz, had already escaped again. They set off in pursuit of Alaphilippe and Schachmann, who still held a healthy advantage.

The situation changed when Schachmann crashed on a descent with 35 kilometers to go. The German stayed down and was no longer a factor in the race. Alaphilippe was now on his own, while Lipowitz and Vauquelin caught up with Tratnik and Bayer behind him. Tratnik rode himself into the red for his teammate Lipowitz, and the effort paid off. With 15 kilometers remaining, they caught back up with Alaphilippe. The gap to the favorites’ group was about forty seconds.

On to the Alto da Malhão
The breakaway then thinned out to two riders. After Tratnik’s work was done, Lipowitz and Vauquelin dropped Bayer and then a spent Alaphilippe on a short climb. Lipowitz pushed hard, but Vauquelin managed to hold his wheel. The two rode together towards the final climb of the Alto da Malhão but gradually started to lose time. In the peloton, Lidl-Trek and UAE Emirates XRG joined forces to close the gap.

Just before the foot of the final climb, Vauquelin and Lipowitz’s adventure ended. Once the road started climbing, Almeida took the initiative again. The Portuguese rider increased his effort significantly, causing many favorites to suffer. Thymen Arensman, fifth overall, was dropped early. One kilometer from the finish, Matthew Riccitello launched an acceleration. The American pushed on in support of his teammate Seixas.

Ayuso puts the finishing touch
Then it was Seixas’ turn. Ayuso immediately followed his wheel, while Onley also caught up. Almeida and Tom Gloag struggled somewhat but managed to get back. This led to a five-rider sprint for the win. Onley launched the sprint first, but Ayuso came up alongside and ultimately passed him. The Spaniard won the stage and also secured the overall victory. Onley finished second in the stage, Seixas third. Jarno Widar took seventh place.

Arensman finished only nineteenth, more than a minute behind Ayuso. He dropped from fifth to ninth in the general classification. The best Dutch rider in the stage was Dylan van Baarle, who crossed the line tenth. Alex Molenaar finished sixteenth.