Ayuso points fingers after brutal stage collapse: “If something happens to them, we’re not going to wait”

“It’s tough,” the talented Spaniard reflected on the disastrous sixteenth stage. “I was on Arrieta’s wheel and had to tell him to slow down. When you see team cars passing you, that’s a real blow. It’s just not what I had imagined or hoped for at the start of the Giro, or even months ago, when everything was going so well.”

Ayuso found it hard to say how much his sore knee contributed to the collapse. “But I don’t believe in coincidences. Since that day in Siena, I don’t think I’ve ever truly felt like myself. Every day has been a struggle. I don’t want to say I expected it, but the truth is I saw it coming yesterday,” he admitted. “I’d already been suffering a lot on the climbs, and on the Monte Grappa stage I really went deep. On the rest day, I barely trained because I was completely spent.”

Ayuso last felt good during the gravel stage to Siena. “Since then I’ve been dealing with real knee pain, but I don’t want to use that as an excuse. These things are part of cycling. I hope I can recover, though to be honest, that’s not really possible. Today we had... well, recovery and the Mortirolo on the same day, that’s a bit complicated,” the UAE rider said honestly about Wednesday’s brutal stage 17. “But I want to help the team where I can, recover if possible, and maybe try something on Friday or Saturday.”

If his words are any indication, Ayuso does not plan to abandon the race. He still sees himself playing a supporting role in the final week. But can we expect anything more from him personally? “Man, I wish. That’s why I’m here. Otherwise I’d go home. I’ll try to help the team with Isaac, who is the leader now,” the Spaniard made clear.

Asked whether he could have won the Giro if his knee hadn’t acted up, Ayuso didn’t have a clear answer, though he did offer some reflection. “Based on how I was riding at Tirreno-Adriatico, I think I definitely could have been up there. I’m not saying I would have won, but I would’ve been in the fight. In the two Vueltas I’ve done, and even during the Tour until I had to abandon, I kept getting stronger as the race went on.”

This Giro, however, has been the exact opposite, which leaves the Spaniard with mixed emotions. “On the one hand, it makes me angry. But at the end of the day, it’s another experience. I know that under normal circumstances, I could’ve been in the mix. Whether that would’ve been enough to win depends on a lot of factors. That’s cycling.”

Still, Ayuso doesn’t see this Giro as a failure. “We have to look at the positives. I’ve won a stage. From here, I’ll try to help the team in the rest of the race and, as I said, do what I can to recover, though that’s not easy here.” He’s now focused on the end of the week. “Let’s see if I can win a stage on Friday or Saturday.”

Ayuso was also asked about a controversial moment during Tuesday’s stage. INEOS Grenadiers had picked up the pace just as the UAE rider had been dropped following a nature break. “Yesterday, Roglic and Carapaz crashed in town and the peloton, as usual, slowed down to wait. A lot of riders—maybe 50—wanted to stop to pee, but we couldn’t since we were still in the town. So we waited just outside of it and stopped briefly, since the bunch had already paused due to the crash.”

“As I was riding back toward the cars, I saw that INEOS had chosen that exact moment to go full gas,” Ayuso continued. “People can draw their own conclusions, but it’s behind us now. I don’t think the TV cameras showed it, but there was a crash near the bottom and right there INEOS hit the gas. Let them do what they want—we will too. But one thing’s for sure: if something happens to them, we won’t be waiting,” said the Spaniard. “I really think they were right on the edge yesterday.”