'The legs will decide' - Verona on protecting Ayuso ahead of Algarve final showdown

Carlos Verona arrived in Portugal straight from a training camp in Spain, first taking on the Figueira Champions Classic before starting the Volta ao Algarve, and admitted he is feeling good after the camp and his first race days of the season.

“Quite good,” replied Verona when asked by Domestique how he was feeling and how his form was building. 

“We come from Tenerife. We did a training camp in Teide, the first one of the season. Yeah, it was quite good, we were there with six riders, three of them are here, [Juan] Ayuso, [Lennard] Kämna and me,” he said. 

The Spanish rider, a 2025 Giro d’Italia stage winner, has certainly been enjoying the Portuguese sun and the team's current position in the race, leading overall with Ayuso.

“So far so good, we have avoided until now the bad weather in Europe, so the sunshine is following, and here in the Algarve, I think you can see that everything is going well.”       

Ayuso leads the GC by 0:07 over teenager Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) with just one final stage remaining on Sunday. Verona is well aware that it’s a stage where things can change, with a double ascent of the Alto do Malhão climb. 

“Yeah, I think it will be a hard stage for sure because also in this race, I think it’s demanding, because it’s always up and down, left and right,” said Verona. “Also, the field is quite strong, a lot of people are building up the form for the Classics, and everybody is fighting until the very end.”

Verona highlighted how high the level is in the peloton already in the early stages of the season in mid-February, explaining how riders are riding themselves into form ahead of a busy spring and therefore he expects another demanding stage on Sunday. 

He shared an anecdote about after he had finished pulling on the front of the peloton for Ayuso on the slopes of the Alto da Fóia on stage 2.

“I was thinking the other day on the Alto da Fóia, normally in a normal stage race, all the sprinters or Classics riders sit up before, but here they fight until the very end to build up the shape,” said Verona, who ultimately expects a battle similar to the second stage.

“So here it is always demanding and nervous, but yeah, tomorrow I think it will be similar to the second stage. The speed will be high, and the fight for position will also be important,” explained Verona. 

Ultimately, the team is in a strong position, having the yellow jersey with Ayuso, and Verona explained that the role of the team is to get his younger compatriot to the base of the final climb safely, and from there the race will be decided by strength.

“With the leader’s jersey, we will try to have the race under control and keep it all together until the bottom of the last climb, and then there the legs will decide who is the winner of this race," said Verona.