Juan Ayuso made no mistakes, and on the 11% slopes of Alto de Malhao he claimed his first season victory and the overall classification of the Volta Algarve, finishing 14" ahead of Frenchman Seixas. A perfect way to present himself with his new Lidl-Trek jersey.

"A perfect day, yes - says the beaming 23-year-old Spaniard -. From start to finish it was a very stressful and tense day. Because my fundamental task was to follow Seixas, and if Paul wanted to sprint, then I had to respond. He tried to take some bonus seconds from me and I answered. I'm really proud of how the team raced all day. They put us under pressure from the start, we had very strong teams against us like Ineos and Red Bull who tried to play their game, but thanks to my teammates we controlled everything perfectly".

The fifth and final stage concluded at Malhao on a 2.6-kilometer climb at 9% average gradient: "The finale was also quite nervous - Ayuso continues -, they tried to isolate me in every way but once again the team responded perfectly and my teammates allowed me to arrive in the perfect position to win. So yes, I should be very proud of my performance, but I think my teammates deserved this victory, they won the show, they did extraordinary work: this success is for them. We were the strongest team in the race, and again I'm super happy to have been able to win to repay them".

For Juan Ayuso, who in 2025 dominated the Tirreno-Adriatico with the UAE Emirates jersey, the next appointment will be Paris-Nice, scheduled for March 8-15.