Young French star Paul Seixas took his first ever professional victory on Thursday, beating Grand Tour stalwarts Juan Ayuso, João Almeida and Oscar Onley on stage two of the Volta ao Algarve.
Atop the Alto de Foia, Seixas of Decathlon CMA CGM attacked late, and managed to hold off Lidl-Trek‘s Ayuso to the line. However, Ayuso climbed into the race lead as the pair finished on the same time, separated by countback.
“I guess there was a lot of rhythm, and at the start of the last climb, it was a bit hectic with a crash. I started to follow at first, and then I tried to make a big rhythm, but Juan Ayuso and João Almeida wouldn’t cooperate with me, or not a lot, so I was afraid that we would be caught by some riders. It was only two, and one of my teammates, so it was perfect for me.
“Matthew did a great job to push everyone to the limit, and then João attacked a lot a lot, but I knew I had to wait for my moment. I just kept as much energy as I can, and then did a good sprint, even if I was a bit lost with all the corners in the end. I managed to take it so I’m really happy for me, and the team did an amazing job today. It was a perfect day for the team, and a good reward for our work.”
Just 16 seconds separate the top five on general classification – the riders named above – heading into Friday’s individual time trial. There is one more mountain test, on stage five, where the race should ultimately be decided.
Elsewhere on Thursday, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) won stage four of the UAE Tour, which finished in a bunch sprint, while Iván Romeo (Movistar) escaped to victory on stage two of the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta del Sol in Spain.
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