Paul Seixas gets his season off to a perfect start at the Volta ao Algarve Bicicleta. He wins the second stage at the summit of Alto de Fóia, beating Juan Ayuso and João Almeida! His first victory as a professional.
A strong team and a perfect reading of the race
Ten kilometers after the start of the race in Portimão, a breakaway group of eight riders away on a relatively flat course. Thanks to good management and teamwork by the main favorites (DECATHLON CMA CGM Team, Lidl – Trek, UAE Team Emirates – XRG, INEOS Grenadiers), the eight riders caught 15 kilometers from the finish line.
Well protected throughout the 147 kilometers by the entire team, Paul accelerated on the first slopes of the final climb and set a steady pace for many kilometers. Tactically very smart in the last kilometer and thanks to the return of Matthew Riccitello (5th in the stage), Paul was able to take advantage of his competitors' slipstream to protect himself from the headwind. In the final kilometer, Paul took the lead before the last turn to win in a two-man sprint against Juan Ayuso.
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Paul Seixas
"When I saw the line with still one bike ahead, I knew I could do it."
"It's truly incredible: my first professional victory, and not just anywhere! It's a pleasure to be able to ride at the front, to feel really strong and positioned with the best thanks to the work done by my teammates at the foot of the climb. I could see that Juan Ayuso and Joao Almeida didn't want to cooperate, but thanks to Matthew Riccitello's return and his pace, I was able to draft and recover before the final sprint. I managed to launch my sprint at the right moment. The finish was tortuous, but when I saw the line with still a bike ahead, I knew I could do it."
The news
Paul Seixas tied for first place
Following this first professional victory and thanks to the bonus points earned during the stage, Paul is tied for first place with Juan Ayuso in the general classification. He will start second to last in tomorrow's time trial.
5
Key number
Like Matthew Riccitello's position at the finish of the second stage of Tour . Despite a slight break caused by a fall in the final kilometers, Matthew was able to return to the front of the pack and is now in fifth place in the overall standings.
