Lidl-Trek spat officially a thing of the past after Ayuso and Skjelmose performances

Juan Ayuso proved himself to be the second-best climber in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, but even he had to bow to a dominant Isaac Del Toro. The Lidl-Trek Spaniard finished third overall and was disappointed that more was not possible, yet he also looked ahead with satisfaction, thanks to a very strong Lidl-Trek squad and a good working relationship with Mattias Skjelmose.

In the final stage, a brutal mountain ride to Plateau de Solaison, Lidl-Trek took firm control. The German-American team spent virtually the entire day on the front, hoping that leader Ayuso could still ride his way to the overall victory. On the final climb, however, rival Del Toro proved two levels too strong, while Luke Tuckwell also stayed ahead of the young Spaniard in the general classification.

“I tried my best, because the team did an amazing job,” Ayuso said after the finish to CyclingPro.net. “It was really impressive. It was a hard start, and my domestiques who were dropped came back again to fight for me. I’m really proud of how they rode. We were the strongest team and gave nobody any hope. They deserved a win, but Quinn still took a stage victory and I’m on the podium.”

So there was some disappointment, but also pride. Not only because of his team, but also because of his own race. After all, it was far from guaranteed that he would be this good. “The road here was not easy. It was a slightly more difficult preparation than I had hoped for. But I got better every day. I’m happy, and I hope I can recover well from these tough days and be ready for next month.”

Del Toro accelerated with nine kilometres to go. Ayuso stayed seated and thought back to the Grand Colombier, where he himself had attacked too early. “When he went from so far out, I hoped it would go a bit like that, only the other way around,” he laughed. “But he was on another level today, we have to accept that. Skjellie [Skjelmose, ed.] rode amazingly for me, which was really nice. Then I went, but Isaac was too good. It is what it is.”

Skjelmose came to the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes as Lidl-Trek’s second leader. But after Ayuso’s performances, he had to switch roles and settled into life as a super-domestique. It does not feel all that long ago that the Dane was openly frustrated when it was announced that the Spanish climber would be joining Lidl-Trek, but all of that now appears to be behind them.

Ayuso will therefore head to Barcelona for the Tour de France with good legs and a strong team around him. It will be the second time he starts La Grande Boucle, but the first time as leader. In any case, he looks ready for the fight, and he has already been able to test several rivals this week. But that was not what occupied his mind.

“To be honest, I don’t care about that,” he said when asked what he made of his rivals. “I just focus on myself and on my teammates. We have to prepare as well as possible, and that is what we have done. My team rode amazingly and turned it into a good preparation for the Tour. I’m focused on myself, and we’re going to improve even more in the next three weeks before the Tour.”