'A perfect day' - Seixas echoes Pogacar with maiden pro win on Alto da Fóia

Paul Seixas had set winning a race as his primary goal for the season, and the French rider achieved that target on his first race attempt this season in Portugal. An exchange of attacks between Seixas, Ayuso and Almeida on the final climb set up a tense conclusion, but the 19-year-old timed his effort perfectly in the closing metres to take the win.

“It’s perfect, first pro win in Portugal, that has a meaning,” Seixas said afterwards to the media including Domestique. “My first goal was to win a race, and I did it today. It’s amazing.”

A crash involving Brandon McNulty (UAE) on run-in to the steepest potion of the Alto da Fóia risked disrupting the tempo, but Seixas navigated the chaos and he joined Ayuso and Almeida at the head of the race after the Spaniard’s acceleration.

“There was a lot of rhythm, and in the last corner it got a bit hectic with a crash from a UAE guy,” Seixas said. “I followed at first, then tried to make a big rhythm, but Ayuso and Almeida didn’t cooperate much. I was afraid we’d be caught. Luckily, only two riders came back, and one was my teammate [Matthew Riccitello – ed.], so it was perfect.”

Almeida launched repeated attacks in the closing phase of the climb, with Seixas latching onto the wheel. “João went a lot, but I knew I had to wait for my moment and keep as much energy as I could,” Seixas said. “In the end I did a good sprint, even if I was a bit lost with all the corners, and my gear was way too big. I still managed to take it.”

The victory also represented a significant step up in level for Seixas, who showed he could match two of the sport’s leading talents in Ayuso and Almeida, as well as taking his first-ever professional victory. 

“Of course, I made a step,” Seixas said. “I was curious to see how it would work, but the teamwork made it better all day, my team protected me super well. Then Matthew did a good attack in the final to make Almeida and Ayuso react, and I just had to follow and keep some energy for the sprint. It was a perfect scenario for me. A crazy day.”

With his preseason objective already achieved, Seixas now turns his focus to the general classification in Algarve, where he sits second in the standings, level on time with Ayuso, with the Spaniard ahead only on the countback rule. 

“Now it’s about doing a good GC here, maybe even winning,” Seixas said. “We’ll see tomorrow in the time trial how it goes. I’m still in the fight, so I’ll focus on that and then see what’s next.”

Seixas follows in the footsteps of multiple Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar, who also took his first-ever professional victory at the Volta ao Algarve in 2019, incidentally, atop the Alto de Foia.