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Follow us on GoogleFilippo Ganna won the Volta ao Algarve individual time trial on Friday. The 29-year-old Italian from INEOS Grenadiers was the fastest over a course built for big engines — 19.5 kilometres of fast, mostly flat roads — finishing ahead of another specialist, Jakob Söderqvist of Lidl-Trek. Behind them, the general classification battle stayed tight and entertaining.
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After stage 2, Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) had taken the race lead, despite losing the sprint for the stage win on Fóia to Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM). That meant Seixas started the time trial on the same time as Ayuso in the overall standings.
The top five after stage 2 was completed by João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates–XRG) at 7 seconds, Oscar Onley (INEOS) at 14 seconds, and Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon) at 16 seconds. Those were the margins heading into the race against the clock.
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Seixas was narrowly faster than Ayuso on Day 2, but did not wear the leader's jersey in the time trial
Ganna sets the early benchmark, Arensman also quick
For the stage win, the focus was on the powerful time trial specialists. Even in 2026 there are no guarantees, but the expected favourites delivered. Söderqvist set the first serious reference time.
Ganna then went seven seconds faster than the Swede and settled in for a long wait in the hot seat. Other big names lost significant time: Stefan Küng (Tudor) was 27 seconds down, while Kévin Vauquelin (INEOS) conceded 23 seconds.
Thymen Arensman (INEOS) also produced a strong ride, placing himself provisionally behind Ganna — and ahead of Vauquelin — before the top GC riders rolled off the ramp. The question was simple: how much could the climbers and all-rounders limit their losses on this kind of course?
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Ayuso and Seixas fly off the start
The final showdown came with Seixas and Ayuso, the last two riders to start. At the first intermediate check — just over halfway — both were already in the top three on eye-catching speeds. Ayuso was one second faster than Ganna at that point, while Seixas was six seconds slower.
Ayuso, who has previously surprised Ganna in a flat Tirreno-Adriatico time trial, drew plenty of attention again — followers jokingly dubbing him “Aero Ayuso” for his position on the Trek time trial bike at his new team. He stayed right on terms deep into the run-in.
Ganna saw Almeida endure a difficult day, finishing 42 seconds slower than the Italian’s winning time. Seixas faded slightly in the second half but still posted an excellent time, taking third on the stage at 12 seconds down. In the end, Ayuso strengthened his overall position, but came up five seconds short of taking the stage win from Ganna.
Ganna saw that Almeida, with a time that was 42 seconds slower, was not having a top day. Seixas also conceded a bit more in part two, but did record the third fastest time, 12 seconds behind Ganna. The wait was now on Ayuso, who consolidated his leader's jersey a bit, but was 5 seconds short of the day's win over Ganna.
Results stage 3 Tour of the Algarve 2026
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- I’m a bit confused by the photo finish explanation—if the image shows time rather than distance, how can it prove who crossed first? And why was the result not explained immediately after the race?velodromevirtuoso109-10-2026
- 13,000 captures per second is some serious technology! Still, I can understand why Ciccone felt frustrated when the margin was so tiny. Hopefully the organisers publish the full image so fans can see exactly what happened.patriciaw09-10-2026
- Evenepoel handled this well. No need to turn a razor-thin result into a bigger argument, especially with the governing body confirming the procedure. That jersey and Specialized bike combination should look absolutely brilliant in Lombardy.cadencekingm09-10-2026
- A finish decided by fractions of a second will always create debate, but the UEC’s explanation of the EtherLynx system sounds pretty conclusive. Photo finishes are often misunderstood—the image represents time, not a normal view of the riders’ position. Fair play to Ciccone for accepting it graciously.pedalpowe2909-10-2026
- This feels a bit overdramatic from the media. Until Roglic or his agent confirms it, all these “insiders” are just guessing. Still, seeing him line up with Pidcock would be pretty cool.breakawaybikerd09-10-2026
- I’m still learning the team side of cycling: if a team has 29 contracts already signed, how can it still add Roglič? Do riders leave, or are there limits on how many can be registered?samanthak09-10-2026
- So many conflicting reports — Tudor favourite one week, completely out the next. Surely someone in the camps knows what’s happening? Either way, Roglic deserves a team built around him rather than another uncertain setup.jeremya09-10-2026
- Pinarello-Q5 with Roglič, Pidcock and Ciccone would be a seriously interesting project. Plenty of firepower, although three big personalities sharing one team could get complicated during the Grand Tours.sprocketspiny09-10-2026
- The transfer rumours are becoming a race of their own! Tudor still makes sense, but a clear leader role at Lotto-Intermarché could be exactly what Roglič wants at this stage of his career. Let’s see what comes out after Lombardia.gearguru3309-10-2026
- Big challenge ahead—bonne chance, Grischa!lindae09-10-2026
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