Ayuso gains one second on Roglic and prepares for crucial stage: "A day when things can go wrong"

Ayuso emerged victorious in the first general classification showdown on Friday, winning the uphill finish and reclaiming fourteen seconds from Roglic, including bonus seconds. A day later, the gain was much smaller — just one second — but it likely still pleased the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader. After eight stages, the gap between the two is just three seconds, still in Roglic’s favor.

"One second is always better than nothing. But it was a really tough day. Now it’s all about recovering well, because tomorrow is an important one," said Ayuso in a flash interview. The Giro continues on Sunday with a stage over the unpaved roads of Tuscany, famously featured in Strade Bianche. That race is known for its drama — punctures, crashes, and unpredictable turns — which are the kind of factors GC riders would rather avoid.

Ayuso is clearly aware of the dangers ahead. “I don’t know if I’d say I’m nervous, but it’s definitely a day when things can go wrong. You can’t really control it, but that’s also what makes it special. I hope luck is on our side and that we can look back on a good day.”

Representing UAE, Igor Arrieta was part of the breakaway from which the stage winner would emerge. The young Spanish climber put up a strong fight but just missed the podium, finishing fourth. “We wanted to have someone in the break just in case,” Ayuso explained about Arrieta’s presence up front. “We didn’t know how the race would unfold. Things could have blown up completely at any point.”

“Once the break had formed, I think the team figured it would be good for Igor to ride for his own chance,” Ayuso said. “I’m glad he got that opportunity, and even though he didn’t win, he showed that he’s in excellent shape.” Arrieta tried to bridge the gap to eventual winner Luke Plapp in the final kilometers. He made up some time on the climb, but ultimately paid for his efforts and was dropped by Wilco Kelderman and Diego Ulissi.

Ayuso and Arrieta are the same age and came up through the youth categories together. “We’ve been racing together longer than I can even remember,” said Ayuso. “We started competing against each other when we were ten years old. We were always rivals throughout our youth.” That’s a stark contrast to today. “Now we’re here as teammates, in the best team in the world. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Arrieta briefly spoke with Eurosport after the stage. “I gave it everything I had. The plan wasn’t to go with the breakaway to try to win the stage, but with such a big group up the road, we had to stay alert all day in case a dangerous rider was in there. We got away with about twenty guys… It was just a matter of surviving.”