At UAE Team Emirates, they can no longer ignore the Pogacar-like talent after another solo victory by Juan Ayuso: "Then it's up to the rider."

Ayuso initially struggled to shake Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) and Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), but after two accelerations, his third attack finally cracked the duo. "It went really well," he said with a hint of understatement at the finish. He credited his team, particularly Isaac Del Toro, for setting a relentless pace that put the entire favorites’ group under pressure. "We knew we had to make the finale hard, especially with the strong wind, since you could save a lot of energy in the draft."

"I'm really happy to have Del Toro by my side. Despite the headwind, he pulled incredibly hard at the front. I was already struggling in his wheel, so you can imagine how hard it was for the rest," laughed the stage winner, who watched Del Toro hang on for seventh place. By then, Ayuso had long since finished—securing victory with an impressive solo attack. "In the finale, I just went for it. I knew I had to hold my pace all the way to the finish, but that last kilometer really hurt. Still, I'm glad I pulled it off."

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Juan Ayuso had been eyeing the blue leader’s jersey all week, but Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) managed to hold him off for five days. That changed on Saturday, when the Italian finally cracked on the climbs. "It feels good to be in the lead. Last year, I wore the jersey for a long time but ended up losing it in the end," Ayuso said, referencing his battle with Jonas Vingegaard in 2024. "This time, I spent the whole week without it—but now I have it. So, I think I prefer it this way, haha."

There is still one stage left, but the Tirreno-Adriatico finale on Sunday traditionally ends in a bunch sprint in San Benedetto del Tronto. After his victories in Ardèche and the Trofeo Laigueglia, this win in Tirreno-Adriatico tasted even sweeter—especially knowing that most of his future Giro d’Italia rivals were also competing in the race. "Tirreno was my big goal this spring in preparation for the Giro. If everything goes well, I’ll have achieved that goal. I’m really proud of myself, the team, and everyone involved."

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The team was—and still is—proud of Juan Ayuso. Speaking to IDLProCycling.com, team director Fabrizio Guidi highlighted the major step forward Ayuso has taken this winter. "Juan is a rider who improves every year, and this season, he’s really starting to pay attention to his teammates, the staff, and the bigger picture. The mind is just as important as the body—you can’t always just ride away and win solo. If he’s much stronger than the rest, we won’t stop him from attacking. But sometimes, you need patience, like in Friday’s stage."

That UAE Team Emirates-XRG waited until the final climb to take the initiative—leaving the responsibility earlier in the stage to the teams of Pidcock and Hindley—was a calculated decision, according to Guidi. "For us, securing the leader’s jersey was the priority. It was no surprise that other teams were also thinking about bonus seconds and the stage win. We only needed to drop Filippo Ganna, not necessarily the others. That’s why we waited for other teams to make their move first."

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That Ayuso still attacked solo for the stage win was simply in his nature. Before the start, he had already made his intentions clear to this website. "If I have the legs, I like to go for it. After all, there’s always a stage win at stake on days like these. You have to be smart and understand your differences compared to other riders—sometimes, you need to play it strategically. But once you’ve secured the overall lead, you can always go on the offensive. The best defense is a good offense, right?"

It’s the way Ayuso loves to race—especially now that he’s overflowing with confidence. "I trust myself and have been completely focused during this race. You can lose a race at any moment, but there are usually only one or two chances to win it." At UAE Team Emirates, they are more than happy to let him and Pogacar attack freely. "As a team, you always have to trust the instincts of your riders. We’ll never force them to attack or hold them back. But we do make sure they have all the information about the race and what their rivals are doing. After that, it’s up to the rider and his legs—he’s the one on the bike, feeling the competition firsthand," said Guidi.

Finally, the Italian smiled when asked about the luxury problem of having both Pogacar and Ayuso in the same team. "Well, it does make winning a bit easier, doesn’t it?"

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])