From UAE and Red Bull to INEOS and Lidl-Trek: what do Visma's rivals have to say about the Vuelta team time trial?

On paper, the Vuelta was and is a duel between Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates-XRG, just like in every Grand Tour these days. Jonas Vingegaard already proved he had good legs with a stage win and the red leader's jersey on day 2. At the same time, UAE remained somewhat more anonymous with Juan Ayuso and João Almeida. On Wednesday, in the team time trial, they will no longer be able to hide. Jay Vine, Mikkel Bjerg, and Ivo Oliveira are just a few of the fast riders surrounding the duo.

Ayuso indicated before the Vuelta that UAE, like almost all teams, used Thursday and Friday to test the team time trial before the Vuelta. “That's all there is to it, we have to do what we can,” said the 22-year-old Spaniard. Almeida agreed. "We are professionals, and you learn these disciplines from the junior level. We've done it regularly in recent years, so we're comfortable riding close together. It comes naturally; we know what we have to do."

Ayuso felt confident. “I think everyone feels good in the team. It's a discipline we generally do well in, so I hope to have a good day tomorrow. It would be nice to have the red jersey in the team. The differences aren't that big yet, so anything is possible tomorrow.”

Mathieu Heijboer, the big time trial maniac of Visma | Lease a Bike, smiled a little at Almeida's words. “I don't think it's that easy, but I think that also has a bit to do with the culture you come from. In the Netherlands, there is considerable attention to time trials and team time trials in the youth categories. In other cycling cultures, that is much less the case, and in Great Britain, it is even more ingrained than here. We have seen often enough how wrong it can go.”

In addition to UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Heijboer also mentioned Lidl-Trek, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, and INEOS Grenadiers as dangerous contenders for the team time trial. “I think we have a pretty strong team for the team time trial, I don't think we have any chance of a top result,” said Lidl-Trek sports director Steven de Jongh. Lidl-Trek has Daan Hoole, Mads Pedersen, and Søren Kragh Andersen on board, among others.

At Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, team leader Jai Hindley will be relying on fast riders Tim van Dijke, Matteo Sobrero, Ben Zwiehoff, and Finn Fisher-Black, among others. “I think the fourth stage, and especially the long transfer from France to Spain, will cause a lot of fatigue. But I have a lot of confidence in the team we have for the team time trial. I think we can deliver a good performance,” Hindley said after stage 3.

INEOS Grenadiers is positioning Egan Bernal as its leader, and the Colombian has incredible power on board with Filippo Ganna, Magnus Sheffield, Bob Jungels, Ben Turner, and Michal Kwiatkowski. Sports director Christian Knees spoke of a complex preparation, but: “To build team spirit in our Vuelta team, we came to this Vuelta earlier for a training session. On Wednesday, we will also be able to view the course and make a plan.”

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