Volta ao Algarve: Juan Ayuso wins final stage summit finish to take overall title

Tobias Bayer and Max Schachmann in the break of the day (Image credit: Getty Images)

The race for the overall victory hung in the balance as the peloton tackled 153.1km from Faro to the summit of Alto do Malhão for the final day of racing at the Volta ao Algarve.

The big question at the start of the race was whether Ayuso could hold on to his overall lead, or if Seixas would gain the 14 seconds he needed to eclipse the Spaniard, or if Almeida, 44 seconds back, could pull off a surprise.

Ayuso was off to a good start as he extended his lead by one second after finishing third at an early intermediate sprint in Olhão.

An early breakaway formed that included Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal-QuickStep), who was the highest placed on GC at 1:45 behind Ayuso, Jan Tratnik (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Tobias Bayer (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Luca Van Boven (Lotto Intermarché) and Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling), taking the next set of bonus seconds in Loulé.

Lidl-Trek set the pace on the front of the peloton, holding the breakaway at a manageable minute.

The gap held steady over the category 3 Soidos, but the breakaway split apart on the first time over the Alto do Malhão, a 2.6km climb that averaged nearly 10%.

The GC favourites battling up the Alto do Malhão (Image credit: Getty Images)

Schachmann and Alaphilippe surged over the top and gained 20 seconds on Tratnik as Bayer was distanced even further back. Some activity in the peloton behind led to Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) and Kévin Vauquelin (Ineos Grenadiers) in a two-person chase at about 1:20 back.

Alaphilippe ended up alone off the front when Schachmann overcooked a left-hand corner on the descent with 35km remaining. The German rider appeared to be in distress as he received medical assistance, and his team has not released the extent of his injuries. He did finish the race.

A chase group joined Alaphilippe with 16km to go, but a new lead group emerged, with Lipowitz and Vauquelin continuing onward as the race headed toward the final climb of the Alto do Malhão.

Lidl-Trek and UAE Team Emirates-XRG led the peloton onto the final slopes of the race, catching the two remaining breakaway riders, and resetting the race for the overall victory.

Eleven riders emerged on the ascent, with Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM) kicking off a series of attacks. Seixas was the next to accelerate, attempting to put Ayuso under pressure, and Almeida appeared to struggle to hang onto the pace.

Only five riders remained inside the final few hundred metres: Ayuso, Seixas, Almeida and Onley, along with Thomas Gloag (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling). Onley launched his sprint first, but he was followed by Ayuso, who then outkicked him at the line as the Spaniard won the final stage and the overall classification.