After more than two weeks of racing in the Vuelta a España, Juan Ayuso’s remarkable progress in the event and as a rider shows no sign of ending soon, with the youngest rider in the Spanish Grand Tour in nearly half a century still currently lying a hugely impressive fourth overall.
The UAE Team Emirates rider struggled on the steeper slopes of La Pandera and Hazallanas over the past weekend but on both occasions he dug deep to remain in overall contention.
On Saturday, he crossed the line in the same time as Vuelta leader Remco Evenepoel (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) and then on Sunday, having clawed his way back to the favourites group with some sterling support from teammate João Almeida, was able to narrowly outpace the Belgian at the summit.
While a fraught spell of suffering from COVID-19 is now completely behind him, he said on Sunday, and a very difficult Basque Country stage is also fading in the rear mirror, Ayuso believes that the Vuelta will continue to be an unpredictable affair at the top of the classification from here to Madrid.
Asked directly on Monday’s rest day press conference if Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) and Enric Mas (Movistar) could still turn things around at the top of the GC regarding race leader Remco Evenepoel and if the GC could still change significantly, Ayuso stated directly about the second question, “Yes, it can.”
Arguing that the pace of the race is such that the longer the Vuelta goes on, the more likely it was the non-stop action could take its toll, Ayuso said. “On paper the third week is a bit easier, but ever since day one in Holland, we’ve been going flat out. We only had one day so far in the Vuelta, the stage to Cabo de Gata [stage 11] where things were a bit calmer.
“So maybe the route is not so decisive from this point onwards, but things can still change.” Recurring to humour as he often does to make his point, he said jokingly, “I only hope my progress is upwards, not downwards!”
Ayuso also recognised that la Vuelta is the toughest experience he has ever had as a pro, saying, “I’ve never realised until now that you could get to the point in a race where it would even hurt just going down the stairs of the bus in the mornings before.” But with that in mind, being able to complete the race will, he said, put him in a very different place for 2023.
“That’s why I’ve come here, to experience that level of difficulty and to learn about staying cool and calm even when you are going through bad…
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