Upside-down world: Ayuso and Seixas critical after strong Algarve time trials, while Almeida is oddly satisfied
Cycling
Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GoogleJuan Ayuso and Paul Seixas looked back with mixed feelings on stage 3 of the Volta ao Algarve. The two had already gone head-to-head on the uphill finish on day 2, decided by the smallest of sprints. A day later, the race against the clock again delivered tight margins — but the post-ride reactions were not quite what you might expect.
ADVERTISEMENT
Seixas beat Ayuso in Thursday’s summit sprint, but thanks to bonus seconds from stage 1, Lidl-Trek’s Spaniard still pulled on the overall leader’s jersey. Seixas, meanwhile, paired his stage win with the white jersey as best young rider.
Curiously, neither rider had to wear those jerseys in Friday’s individual time trial. Ayuso explained afterwards that the organisers allowed them to ride in their own kit, as the Volta ao Algarve is “only” a preparation race — and with testing time trial set-ups at this point of the season considered so important.
Continue reading below the video
Ayuso almost crashes, but happy with time gained on Seixas
So in their fastest skinsuits, Ayuso and Seixas went up against one another — and against Filippo Ganna’s benchmark. The INEOS Grenadiers star won the time trial, but only by five seconds from Ayuso. Seixas delivered another standout ride in fourth, 13 seconds down.
Ayuso now defends a seven-second lead over Seixas in the general classification. “I’m really happy that I was competitive, although it’s not great that I’m second again,” he said. “But if you look at the GC, it’s a good day — we can build on that.”
The Spaniard also praised Ganna as “one of the best time triallists in the world”. “That’s why I’m really satisfied with my performance,” Ayuso added. “I didn’t really have doubts, but you never know how it’ll go in a race.” He also had a heart-in-mouth moment in a technical corner, nearly going down
Continue reading below the video
Seixas surprisingly disappointed after top time trial
Seixas looked like one of the rides of the day, yet the young Frenchman from Decathlon seemed far from delighted with fourth place on the stage. “It’s a bit of a disappointment,” he admitted. “It’s a good performance if you look at the times, but I didn’t take enough risks.”
He said he held back on “a few dangerous sections”. “In Sierra Nevada — where, because of the weather, I often couldn’t train outside — I should have worked more on bike handling and time trial technique,” Seixas explained. “But in the end, I’m still competitive.”
Continue reading below the video
Where was João Almeida in the Algarve time trial?
The rider who wasn’t competitive, at least by expectations, was João Almeida of UAE Team Emirates–XRG. The Portuguese GC man ended up a surprise tenth, 43 seconds down on Ganna — and, crucially, conceding significant time to both Ayuso and Seixas. In the overall standings, Almeida now trails the race lead by around three quarters of a minute.
“I did my best and I think I rode pretty well,” said Almeida, runner-up at last year’s Vuelta a España. “The others were just faster. I expected to lose some time, but not that much. Ayuso is in top form. There’s nothing more I can do about it.”
And what did the stage winner have to say? Ganna explained that he felt stronger as the time trial went on: “In the final I felt faster. The first part was a little bit technical and I tried to not take too many risks.”
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'.
IDL-productions
Rumours, speculation and guesswork: 2027 Tour de France route will be revealed live on October 22 in Paris
Vollering adds the Women’s European Championships road race jersey to her rainbow wardrobe
16-day Grand Tours, AI, VAR, drones and more: The UCI's new document has a potentially major impact from 2029 onwards
Quinn Simmons' Strava shows exactly what it takes to compete at the World Championships: ‘I said, Hey guys, anything is possible'
Despite losing the World Championships, Del Toro and Seixas rank high mentally and physically on the Pogačar scale
Latest Cycling News
2026 Il Lombardia Preview | Evenepoel, Del Toro, Seixas and Pidcock all fight to win Pogacar’s crown
Remco Evenepoel responds to criticism from Giulio Ciccone after European Championships' photo finish
Australian rider calls UCI rule change ahead of Gravel Worlds 'unnecessarily unjust': 'Powers that be have given no leniency'
Last minute UCI rule change infuriates women's gravel peloton: 'We play by your rules all season'
Evenepoel and Roglič will finally race together, as Red Bull target Pogačar-free Lombardy: 'A great opportunity'
Popular Cycling News
INEOS's young talent dominated the European and World Championships: Noval hailed as 'new Seixas'
Cycling transfers 2026/2027 | Riders come and go at Netcompany INEOS
European Championship organiser answers Giulio Ciccone's photo finish complaint: 'In the case of minimal differences'
Sensational Primož Roglič gives home fans something to cheer about by winning the mens' European time trial title
Giulio Ciccone agrees Pinarello-Q36.5 deal despite Lidl-Trek contract, opening the door for Ganna
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
Loading
