Spanish cyclist Juan Ayuso closed out victory on the Tour of the Algarve by winning Sunday's fifth and final stage, holding off a relentless challenge from French hope Paul Seixas.
The 23-year-old Ayuso joined Lidl-Trek from Team UAE in the close season and should feature strongly in the major three-week races, while the 19-year-old Seixas is also a man to watch in his first full season.
Ayuso said he was delighted to get off to a winning start at his new team.
"It was a tense, stressful day with the other teams trying to isolate me so my team did a great job," said Ayuso.
#PÓDIO final #VoltaAlgarve
— BikeBlz (@BikeBlz) February 22, 2026
🥇 Juan Ayuso (LTK)
🥈 Paul Seixas (DCT)
🥉 Joao Almeida (UAD) pic.twitter.com/61h3G4X6X1
Another up-and-coming talent, British rider Oscar Onley, came second on the day and fourth overall, just behind Portugal's Joao Almeida.
Ayuso started the day just seven seconds ahead of Seixas, who tried but eventually failed to drop the Spaniard on the last 9km climb and ultimately lost another seven seconds in the overall standings.