As it happened: Volta ao Algarve decided by final summit finish on action-packed stage five
The race for the overall victory as the peloton tackles 153.1km from Faro to the summit of Alto do Malhão
Volta ao Algarve 2026 - Everything you need to know
Fresh starts and home favourites: Five riders to watch at the 2026 Volta ao Algarve
Thanks for joining us today, and for the whole of what has proven to be another great edition of the Volta ao Algarve, solidifying its status as one of the gems of the early season.
For the purists, of course, mid-February doesn’t count as the ‘real’ cycling season - that only gets underway this coming weekend, with the double-header of Omloop Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. We’ll be back for all the action in both, so be sure to join us once more!
Riccitello then took over as the summit neared, attempting to set his Decathlon teammate Seixas up and drop Ayuso, but wasn't able to do so.
Almeida tried to ride everyone of his wheel on the final climb, but it was neither long nor hard enough for him to do so.
In the points classification, Paul Magnier was under pressure from Ayuso, but just about manages to seal victory by just 3 points.
While the final podium remained the same, there were a few changes further down the GC.
Ayuso, Onley and Seixas taking each other on in the final dash to the line.
Lidl-Trek can also be very happy with how they defended the yellow jersey today. They came under a lot of pressure throughout the day, first from Schachmann, then Lipowitz and Vauquelin, and finally from Almeida and Seixas, but were up to the occasion each time. That bodes well as they plan to take on bigger stage races with their new Spanish star as the season goes on.
Victory today rounds off what has been a perfect start to life at Lidl-Trek for Juan Ayuso. On the basis of this, the move appears set to be a very mutually beneficial one, with the rider relishing the role as overall lead, and the team relishing having a world class stage racer to rally behind.
That all means that Ayuso, Seixas and Almeida all seal their places on the final GC podium, and in that order.
Thomas Gloag is a surprising fifth place at 6 seconds, while Riccitello finishes 6th at 14 seconds having tried to set Seixas up for the win.
Almeida was fourth four seconds behind, not quite succeeding with his attack earlier on the climb.
Onley began the sprint, and while Seixas saw him edge away, Ayuso managed to cling on to his wheel, then overtake him at the line.
Onley is second, and Seixas third.
Ayuso has indeed won the stage!
AYUSO WINS
Ayuso wins the Volta ao Algarve! But has he also won the stage?
Ayuso challenges him...and it's a photo finish on the line between them!
We're nearnig the srpting, and Onley is making a move.
Seixas will likely need to drop Ayuso for yellow, bounus won't be enough...
Ayuso is glued to his wheel, with 3 others.
And now Seixas makes his move!
Seixas' teammate Riccitello has made a move, going to the front of the group as they enter the final 1km.
Still 7 riders left with Almeida - Onley, Ayuso, Seixas, among them.
Arensman is among those dropped, despite being 5th on GC.
Now only 8 riders are left, under Almeida's pace.
Seixas and Ayuso are both right up there, about third and fourth in line.
He's stretching the group out, with only about 12 left.
With 2km to go, Almeida takes over at the front. This is his last hurrah for the yellow jersey.
UAE lead the peloton with Großschartner.
That's it, the catch is made - and just as they start the final climb!
Lipowitz and Vauquelin are about to be caught. They will surely be very tired now on the final climb, which gives the riders behind fourth-place Vauquelin a chance to overtake him on GC.
A reminder that just seven seconds separate Juan Ayuso and Paul Seixas at the top of the GC. That’s the amount that the latter needs to gain to take the overall victory.
Just 10 seconds now for the leaders.
5KM TO GO
Lipowitz and Vauquelin's days look numbered. They're now just 15 seconds ahead. After all the day's action, it appears everything's going to come down to the a race in the peloton up the final climb.
UAE’s Felix Großschartner is leading the peloton, with just 7km left to go, and under 4km until the start of the final climb.
A reminder that Lipowitz is 57 seconds down on Ayuso on GC, and Vauquelin 1:17.
Incidentally, with just one more climb to take on, Tomas Contte is poised to seal victory in the King of the Mountain classification.
That final climb will be the Alto do Malhão. Here’s what happened last time up it, when João Almeida dropped all but a select few. Surely he’ll try another move now, but is unlikely to gain all the time he needs to take the yellow jersey.
They're into the final 10km, with just the final climb to the finsh yet to tackle. The duo's lead is 33 seconds - they're in with a chance of the stage, but the GC looks beyond them.
10KM TO GO
Despite Lipowitz's attempted attack, he and Vauqulin don't appear to have fallen out, and are still working together.
Lipowitz takes the points ahead of Vauqulin at the top of the climb, but they remain together. Alaphilippe is third to the top, but the Lidl-led peloton are nearly up to him now.
KOM - SOIDOS
Lipowitz accelerates on the climb, but Vauqulin is staying on his wheel.
No signs of any attacks in the peloton yet, with Lidl-Trek controlling matters.
The lead group is breaking up on this climb. First Tratnik, then Bayer and now Alaphilippe have lost contact.
Alaphilippe has been caught by the chasing quartet.
After Almeida's move earlier, we can anticipate him having another go.
The riders are on the Soidos climb for the second time. Will we see any GC attacks?
Alaphilippe's last win came from a similar long-distence move at the GP de Montreal last year, but chances of a repeat success are disappearing as his lead gets smaller and smaller.
Julian Alaphilippe at the front of the race.
Lipowitz and especially Vauquelin are real threats on GC, the former 1:17 down on Ayuso, and the latter just 57 seconds. For now, the peloton has them under control, but can't afford the deficit of 30 to grow much larger.
Decathlon have put a person at the front of the peloton to assist Lidl-Trek with the chase, in service of Paul Seixas.
Talking of which, there are two more climbs left to come - and they’re the same two climbs as were tackled earlier in the stage, with the stage finish taking place at the summit of the Alto do Malhão.
Alaphilippe, meanwhile, is flying, keeping his lead at 1:00 over the chasers and 1:30 over the peloton. But we know how the Frenchman likes to race, pushing himself to the limit at the risk of burning out later on - don’t be surprised to see him run out of matches on the upcoming climbs.
Despite having the peloton bearing down on them, the four chasers aren't giving up and working well together. It’s a useful move for Lipowitz, who can depend on his teammate Tratnik to pace him.
Amid the breathless action, it’s easy to forget that other races have taken place this afternoon.
João Almeida, laying down the hammer on the last climb.
That quartet is 1:30 behind Alaphilippe in the lead, and only 15 seconds ahead of the peloton.
30KM TO GO
Lipowitz and Vauqulin have caught Bayer, who had previosuly caught Tratnik, and the four riders are now all riding together.
The peloton now has about 20 or 30 riders in it, including three Lidl teammates pacing Ayuso.
That's bad new also for Alaphilippe, who now has to ride all by himself.
He went down heavily, and may have to abandon.
Ther German got a corner wrong while following Alaphilippe.
Max Schachmann has gone down on the descent.
CRASH - SCHACHMANN
Up ahead, Tratnik has gone clear of Bayer and is third on the road, 20 seconds behind the two leaders.
Ayuso now has three riders to help pace him at the front of the group of favourites, which is big enough to be called a 'peloton' again.
The yellow jersey group is getting bigger as more riders rejoin following the climb.
So as things stand, Schachmann and Alaphilippe lead by 1:45 ahead of a small group of favourites featuring Ayuso, Seixas, Almeida and a few others, with Lipowitz and Vauquelin a little ahead of the group of favourites, and Tratnik and Bayer a little behind the two leaders.
40KM TO GO
Lipowitz and Vauquelin have attacked on clear on the descent.
This 8-man group of favourites have made it to the top, about 1:50 behind Schachmann and Alaphilippe.
Almeida attacks again over the summit of the climb. He clearly means business, and has ambitions on yellow.
Almeida has slowed, and some riders are rejoining. All the main GC men appear to be here.
Almeida has only about 5 riders with him - Ayuso is on his wheel, followed by Seixas.
João Almeida is taking it upon himself to lead the peloton on this climb! He’s setting a fast pace, and the peloton is getting smaller and smaller as a result.
Schachmann and Alaphilippe are really wanting to push on on this clmb.
Tratnik and Bayer are 10 seconds behind, and Van Boven a distant 20 seconds already.
Schachmann and Alaphilippe are distancing the rest of the break on this climb.
The riders are approaching the second climb of the day, the Alto do Malhão, which will also host the finish in under 50km’s time. It’s harder than the last, longer at 2.6km, and steeper at 9%.
With Red Bull also having Dani Martínez up in 6th on GC at 1:12, Lipowitz’s attack could be a sign that the team plan to attack in tandem with their two GC threats.
Lipowitz has been brought back. It was a bold move, albeit short-lived - but indicates that more attacks could come on the upcoming climbs, with the peloton struggling to keep this race under control.
Up ahead, the break's advantage has been reduced, to 2 minutes. The peloton is fighting back.
50KM TO GO
Here’s Lipowitz making his move.
Lipowitz is 8th on GC at just 1:17, so a significant threat.
More drama, as Florian Lipowitz uses the climb to launch an attack out of the peloton!
Schachmann led the break over the summit, ahead of Alaphilippe and Tratnik. None of these riders had any KOM points before the stage - the focus instead is on both the GC and the stage win.
KOM - SOIDOS
While race leader Juan Ayuso is the main man under threat by Schachmann’s presence in their breakaway, Paul Seixas (pictured here in white) is also poised to lose his chance of competing for the jersey if the peloton can’t bring him back.
Lidl-Trek riding at the front of the peloton in defence of Juan Ayuso's overall lead, the hurt clearly showing on their faces.
The riders are on the first climb of the day - the Soidos, which rises at 7% for 2.1km.
The gap’s still getting bigger, now up to 2:30. At what point should panic set in among Ayuso and everyone else who wanted to go for the yellow jersey today?
Here is Schachmann, pushing on at the front of the breakaway.
Interesting development here as the break's lead has rocketed up to over 2:10 in the space of just a few kilometres. Schachmann is now the virtual leader, and by almost 30 seconds - the peloton can’t afford to allow the gap to continue to grow.
The break’s lead has edged just a little higher, to 1:40. That puts Schachmann on the brink of becoming the virtual yellow jersey.
70KM TO GO
The five riders in the day's break You can tell just by looking at them how hard they've had to ride to maintain their advantage.
The terrain has been bumpy throughout the day, but the first of the four official climbs to be tackled is only just coming up, in about 15km.
This was Filippo Ganna earlier in the stage, trying to go clear. The bunch succeeded in bringing him back, but a dangerous group has managed to go clear nonetheless.
The breakaway riders continue to increase their lead. It's now at 1:35, putting Schachmann to within 10 seconds of the virtual overall lead.
Prior to this five-man break going clear, there was a flurry of short-lived attacks at the start of today’s stage, including this one from Marijn van den Berg.
Despite Lidl's work, the Schachmann group is now growing it's lead, to just over a minute.
In response to the threat, it’s Ayuso Lidl’s team that are leading the chase in the peloton.
One issue for the break is that the GC favourites can’t afford to give Max Schachmann. The German is only 1:45 down on GC, and therefore won’t be allowed that much time by Ayuso and the others defending their places on GC.
Still the situation remains in the balence, with the break about 40 seconds ahead of the bunch. It's been a breathless start to the stage.
90KM TO GO
The break has gone through the second intermediate sprint of the day and hoovered up all the bonus seconds, so Juan Ayuso wasn’t called into action once again in the peloton.
The gap remains about the same, hovering at 40 seconds. It remains touch and go whether the peloton will let them go clear.
100KM TO GO
Historically, steep uphill finishes like today's are the kind that Alaphilippe would eat up, so he’d really fancy his chances of winning if the break does indeed stay clear. But Schachmann also has a powerful kick, while not as explosive a puncheur, Tratnik could be very hard to bring back if he manages to slip off and ride tempo on the less hilly terrain.
The gap is growing, to 45 seconds. This might indeed be our break.
First, they have to snap the elastic between themselves and the peloton. They haven’t yet, the gap still at only 25 seconds.
That’s a much more illustrious group than those which have formed in previous stages. Could they be in with a chance of competing for the stage win?
It’s a strong group, too. Julian Alaphilippe, Max Schachmann and Jan Tratnik are there, along with Tobias Bayer and Luca Van Boven.
A break of five has now been established at the front, and has a promising lead of about 20 seconds.
110KM TO GO
Magnier at the start today, in the green jersey he is seeking to defend.
While Ayuso was sprinting for the bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint, Paul Magnier was doing so to defend his lead in the points classification. Here’s what those rankings look like now:
5 João Almeida 16
We're almost 30km into the stage, and still the break has not been formed. This has been a less straightforward start than all of the stages preceding it.
120KM TO GO
Following António Morgado’s DNS, we have a first DNF of the day - João Silva, who was present in both the stage one and stage four breakaways.
Filippo Ganna is among those to have attacked, trying to go clear with Hugo Nunes, but has been brought back.
The Volta ao Algarve is one of three stage races that comes to a close today. The first was the UAE Tour, which recently finished - you can read our report to find out how it went down.
It seems the Lotto duo who went clear are no longer out front, and a breakaway has yet to form.
130KM TO GO
One second might not be much, but it's a good confidence boost for Ayuso, and turns a potentially stressful situation into an advantage.
Ayuso got in the mix for the sprint - and successfully so! He was third over the line behind Magnier and Iúri Leitão, and therefore adds 1 second to his overall lead.
Two riders have gone clear after that sprint - Arnaud De Lie, and his Lotto teammate Huub Artz.
The riders have gone through the sprint. We'll confirm the results once they are reported.
John Degenkolb has needed to change wheels.
The question now is whether Paul Seixas will try to challenge Juan Ayuso for some seconds.
But Ivanov has been brought back. It looks like we're going to have a sprint in the peloton for these bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint.
Viacheslav Ivanov has attacked alone, and got a small gap.
No sign of any breakaway going clear just yet.
And they're off!
OFFICIAL START
Ayuso and Magnier, waiting at the unofficial start a little earlier.
We'll find out soon enough - the riders are moving through the neutralised zone and will see the flag very soon.
Interestingly, there’s an intermediate sprint within the first 10km of the start. Will the GC riders get involved to try and capture some bonus seconds?
A reminder of what happened yesterday.
One of Portugal’s best riders, António Morgado, will not start today pulling out with illness. He hasn’t quite looked his best this race, but will still be missed by UAE leader João Almeida as he plots to take the overall victory today.
Here’s yesterday’s winner Paul Magier at the start this morning in Faro. Having won two stages at this race, his job is done, though he’ll want to make sure he finishes safely today and seals the green jersey he’s wearing as leader of the points classification.
The first thing to report is that there has been a correction in the GC rankings since yesterday’s finish. At the time a spit of seven seconds was given in the peloton, with Seixas caught the wrong side of it and losing 7 seconds as a result. But they have now all been given the same time, meaning Seixas is just 7 seconds down on Ayuso on GC, rather than 14.
We’re all set for the final stage of the Volta ao Algarve, where the fate of the yellow jersey will be determined.
Can Juan Ayuso hold on to his overall lead? Or will Paul Seixas gain the time he needs to depose him? Or can João Almeida or one of the riders further behind pull off a surprise? The stage is set for an exciting finale.
Hello and welcome to the fifth and final stage of the 2026 Volta ao Algarve!
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