Oscar Onley was edged into second place on the finish line in a thrilling finale of the Volta ao Algarve as an attacking Kevin Vauquelin enlivened stage five.
Onley attacked into the final 250 metres of the Alto do Malhao summit finish, going clear of his rivals, only to be caught on the line by stage an race winner Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek).
The Scottish rider’s attacking finish saw him seal fourth overall, with Vauquelin fifth, following a daring attack with 40km to go, and Thymen Arensman ninth on GC.
Earlier, Filippo Ganna had attempted to escape the peloton during a hectic break formation phase of the stage which saw multiple attacks from a number of teams.
However, only a small group made it clear, and they were kept on a short leash by a group of GC teams intent on earning the stage victory.
The first ascent of the Alto do Malhao climb saw attacks from the GC favourites which distanced the rest of a dwindling peloton and started too bridge the gap to the break.
Momentarily dropped, Vauquelin closed a small gap on the summit and then attacked the lead group on the descent, catching them by surprise and gaining a small lead with Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe).
The duo maintained a strong pace to slowly gain an advantage on the GC group while reeling in the breakaway, leaving them clear of the race favourites heading into the final 10km.
However, in the group behind their rivals’ teammates - dropped earlier on the climb - returned to the chase group and Lidl-Trek and UAE Team Emirates combined to bring Vauquelin and Lipowitz back at the beginning of the final climb.
The French Grenadier was able to hold on despite the effort of the attack, but dropped back after counter moves from UAE Team Emirates’ Joao Almeida then the Decathlon CMA CGM duo Matthew Riccitello, while remained in contention.
With 250 metres to go, Onley then put in a dig of his own, sprinting into the final corner to gain the inside line, but Ayuso was able to follow and pip the Scotsman on the line to seal the race victory as well as the stage.
Onley’s second place saw him move up to fourth overall, with Vauquelin fifth and Thymen Arensman in ninth making it three Grenadiers in the top 10.
Reaction
Oscar Onley
“We wanted to come away having given it everything, and I think it’s fair to say we did that.”
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) February 22, 2026
Oscar Onley assesses an exciting final stage of #VoltaAlgarve 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/yAY5w4AgQp
Kevin Vauquelin
“If you try it’s always possible.”
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) February 22, 2026
Kevin Vauquelin was upbeat after his bold attacking performance on stage 5️⃣ and he reflects on his first week racing with the team 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/k1SKrWmToF