Vingegaard should watch out for the revitalized Ayuso, now and in the Tour: "Getting closer to Jonas and Tadej"

That Juan Ayuso is one of the greatest cycling talents of the moment is no secret. The Spaniard burst onto the scene in 2022 like a rocket, delivering Tadej Pogacar-like results in his debut year with UAE-Team Emirates. After physical discomfort in 2023 seemed to push him out of the spotlight, he suddenly grabbed all the attention again with an impressive victory in the Tirreno-Adriatico time trial on Monday. A sign of things to come, and something UAE-Team Emirates is candid about.

We had almost forgotten that Ayuso is no ordinary talent. After winning the Baby Giro in June 2021, he made an early switch to UAE-Team Emirates just days later. He signed a long-term contract, which was extended in 2022 to last until the end of 2028. Not without reason, as he immediately competed with the best that year. Fifth in Catalonia, fourth in Romandie, and a victory in the Circuito de Getxo were just the first hints of his potential. In the 2022 Vuelta a España, he finished third in the general classification, a feat Pogacar also achieved in his debut year three years prior.

Comparisons with the Slovenian were increasingly drawn in the months that followed, until Ayuso disappeared from the scene for months due to a lingering heel injury. He only returned to racing at the end of April 2023 and immediately won the time trial in the Tour de Romandie. He repeated this feat two months later in the Tour de Suisse, despite being back in full training for only a few weeks. Therefore, the summer was all about starting as well as possible in his second consecutive Vuelta. He confirmed his form with a fourth place, behind the unbeatable Jumbo-Visma podium of Sepp Kuss, Jonas Vingegaard, and Primoz Roglic. However, Ayuso expressed that, despite taking a step forward in his development, he couldn't consider it an ideal year.

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Ayuso is very ambitious after a trouble-free winter

The remarkable potential of the Spanish cyclist was unmistakably showcased this Monday. Fresh off his victory at the Faun-Ardèche Classic and a close second to his teammate Marc Hirschi at the Faun Drôme Classic, Ayuso arrived at the Tirreno following a third-place finish at the Trofeo Laigueglia. He stunned everyone in a flat 10-kilometer time trial by outperforming the usually dominant Filippo Ganna, handing Jonas Vingegaard a whopping 22-second lag. "I knew from the halfway mark that I was on track for a strong time, especially since I hadn’t pushed to my max yet," he casually remarked during the post-race interview.

In the post-race press conference, Ayuso didn't shy away from his enormous ambitions. "I'm here for the general classification, to win the race. Winning the time trial here and gaining time on all the GC contenders is great, although you can never be complacent with Vingegaard, not even if I had gained a minute. There's still a whole Tirreno to race, but this is a good start."

The beginning of a revitalized Ayuso, who acknowledges that after his injury woes in 2023, he has now had a delightful winter. "I remember being here a year ago in Italy, in the exact same hotel we are in now. Back then, I came to talk with the team doctors about my rehabilitation process. Now we're in a completely different situation. I had a perfect winter, without any setbacks. We just had to schedule some extra race days, as the Ruta del Sol consisted only of one time trial. A clean winter, and now I hope to build on that."

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Ayuso aims to compete with Vingegaard and others, including in the Tour de France

The still only 21-year-old Ayuso is currently being perfectly shielded by Pogacar at UAE-Team Emirates. In the Strade Bianche, Pogacar once again proved he is one of the best in the world. "What Tadej did, I’ve never seen anything like it in a race of that caliber," Ayuso comments on the over eighty-kilometer solo last Saturday. It didn’t give him extra motivation for the Tirreno. "I was already motivated; this race is very important to me. It's a major goal this season."

After the Tirreno, his schedule includes the Amstel Gold Race and the Flèche Wallonne, before making his debut in the Tour de France in July alongside Pogacar. "After two Vueltas, it was my own request. The plan was initially to do the Giro d'Italia, and although I love the Giro, the Tour is the biggest dream of any cyclist. I made progress in 2023, moving closer to the top riders. After this winter, I hope to have made another step, making me feel ready for the Tour. The team thought it was a good idea."

That’s why the Tirreno is such a significant goal, as Ayuso can really measure himself against Vingegaard there - without being overshadowed by figures like Pogacar and Adam Yates. "I can now truly gauge my level against Vingegaard, and in other races, against Remco Evenepoel or Primoz Roglic as well. This is the first race where I can test myself against one of the best in the world. I want to know where I stand and what I need to work on."

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UAE-Team Emirates team director raves about Ayuso

Ayuso, thanks to a stint as a young boy in Atlanta (USA) - and a British school in Spain - speaks in perfect English. He makes direct eye contact when responding to questions and takes his time with the press. A polite young man, making it almost easy to overlook that he handed Vingegaard a 22-second gap in the time trial. That’s a significant margin over ten kilometers, and so the upcoming mountain duels between him, Vingegaard, and other strong GC contenders in the Tirreno are highly anticipated. He is looking forward to it as well. "I think until this season, I was a level below guys like Vingegaard and Pogacar. I'm not saying I will reach their level this season, but I am getting closer. It will be interesting to see where I stand this week."

Bold statements, further emphasized by Joxean Matxin, the head honcho at UAE-Team Emirates. The Spaniard makes no effort to temper the high expectations surrounding Ayuso. "We know that Juan has a very high level in time trialing. He has worked hard on his position, handles himself well in the corners... You just can't control the competition. Ganna, along with Joshua Tarling, is still the best time trialist in the world, so it’s impressive that he was faster than him."

But exactly how good is Ayuso? According to Matxin, very good. "Juan is very professional. He follows the plans, works in the wind tunnel and on the track. He has the mentality of a champion and works incredibly hard. The results will follow. We hope he can measure up to Jonas in the Tirreno, but we're talking about the winner of the last two Tours. After the duels with Pogacar, we know the strength of Visma | Lease a Bike, so we're taking it step by step, day by day."