Juan Ayuso exudes confidence and can now suddenly win a sprint: "I’ll do even better in Tirreno"

It makes you wonder: the way Ayuso beat his three fellow breakaway riders in a sprint on Wednesday, could it be possible that he simply out-sprinted a group of ten or so riders in the Faun-Ardèche Classic as well? Perhaps that is why he was so frustrated, and a day later, he let off some steam by riding at one hundred million watts per kilogram and winning the second of two Ardeche races.

In the Trofeo Laigueglia, Ayuso was the strongest uphill rider, along with Astana's Christian Scaroni, but the climbs were so short that there were never any real big differences. This allowed Neilson Powless (EF) and Michael Storer (Tudor) to return to the final lap after the last climb, suddenly making a victory for Ayuso 50% less certain. The Spanish climber did not seem impressed. He accelerated and easily sprinted past the other three. They were not even in the photo.

Ayuso has never been the most explosive in the past, but he is oozing with confidence after a good winter and a great start to the season. "I've already come third and second here, so now I finally have that victory," he said in the flash interview. Thanks to his teammates from UAE Team Emirates-XRG. "We controlled the race all day and rode at a high pace on the climbs, and on the final lap, I always had a teammate with me to follow all the attacks. I'm glad I was able to finish the job."

Ayuso said he didn't mind that it ended in a sprint. "I was confident; I didn't want any more guys returning from behind. Then they could have attacked; you never know what would have happened. I wanted a sprint between the four of us, then I was pretty confident I could complete it, said the day's winner, who is now heading to Tirreno-Adriatico. The big goal is the Giro d'Italia, but I like Tirreno. Last year I finished second and won a stage; I want to do better now."