Ayuso names his three biggest rivals for the Tour de France podium, but he seems to have forgotten someone

Juan Ayuso is clearly riding with increasing confidence at the Tour de France. The 23-year-old Spaniard from Lidl-Trek had to find his footing at first, but now that the longer climbs are on the horizon, he’s digging in to fight for a spot on the podium. Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard don’t seem to be competitors for him, though he did name three others.

"Tomorrow (Friday, ed.) marks the start of a new Tour de France, and we're ready for it," Ayuso said confidently as he gave a quick interview to the organizers after Stage 12, wearing his white youth jersey. His regular domestique, Carlos Verona, also didn’t hold back in an interview with Marca when discussing the ambitions of Lidl-Trek and Ayuso.

The German team is aiming for the green points jersey with Mads Pedersen and a podium finish with their Spanish team leader. We’re entering the decisive phase, with a tough weekend ahead and a final week that’s sure to be a real spectacle. I think it’s pretty clear who will win the Tour de France, but the other general classification contenders will have to battle it out for the podium spots.

According to Verona, the fact that Lidl-Trek is not only competing alongside Ayuso for Pedersen’s green jersey but also chasing stage wins with riders like Quinn Simmons and Mathias Vacek can only help the overall leader. “We’re where we wanted to be—and even better. We need to work together for Pedersen; that’s a very important goal. At the same time, Juan has shown consistency, maturity, and growth.”

"We're feeling confident heading into the final week," said Verona. "It's possible that Juan might have a bad day, because this Tour de France is very tough. It can happen to anyone, but then you have to minimize your losses and aim for the highest possible result. Juan has nothing to prove; he’s already finished third in the Vuelta a España. If it doesn’t work out this year, it won’t be the end of the world.”

Ayuso also seems to be right in the thick of the race, partly because the competition for a spot on the Tour podium is fierce and two spots in Paris are already all but locked up. Thijs Zonneveld spoke with the climber in the mixed zone at the Tour de France and heard him say, “Ayuso thinks the battle for the final podium spot in the Tour will be between him, Paul Seixas, and Isaac del Toro.”

On the podcast In De Waaier, Zonneveld pointed out that one name was missing from Ayuso’s analysis: “He said we’ll see what happens with Remco Evenepoel. He’s not entirely sure, but he also saw that Evenepoel really got dropped on the Tourmalet. Although he’ll probably ride a good time trial and still be in contention on the short climbs.”

"I think he’s already half-writing off Evenepoel for the longer climbs in the second and third weeks. But even more striking: he didn’t mention Florian Lipowitz at all. That’s last year’s third-place finisher, for goodness’ sake—someone who had the toughest stretch of his Tour. He’s 38 seconds off the podium, and he’s better at the longer stages that are coming up now."

"I do find it amusing that he forgot Lipowitz," Zonneveld laughed, although the German often rides so inconspicuously that the scenario in which Ayuso accidentally forgot him is considered realistic.