Wellens questions Ayuso's UAE-exit: 'It's strange that contracts can be broken these days'

With 95 victories — or was it 97? — UAE Team Emirates – XRG once again shattered nearly every record possible. Tim Wellens played a crucial role in that success, delivering standout wins of his own. But at 34, what does the rest of his career look like? And how does he view the departure of Juan Ayuso?

Wellens won the Belgian national championship and later claimed Stage 15 of the Tour de France, completing an impressive trilogy: he now has stage victories in all three Grand Tours. He also finished third in Strade Bianche, helping Tadej Pogačar to victory there — just as he did in the Tour. It’s no surprise his contract was extended through 2027. Still, the end of his career is slowly coming into sight.

“I don’t know,” Wellens told AS. “I hope to stay with UAE after this contract, but I’m aware of the young talents coming through. What matters to me is that I truly enjoy what I do: training, altitude camps... I don’t know when I’ll stop. Now you have riders winning races at 18 or 19 years old. Everything is changing.”

Because of that uncertainty, the Belgian prefers not to look too far ahead. Next year, he already has plenty of goals. "Riding a Grand Tour — I don’t know which one yet, but I want to do one. We obviously have a very strong team, but what I’d really love is to repeat my Tour de France stage victory. And then the Flemish classics. Hopefully I can win a few of them.”

In those Flemish classics, Wellens was below his best this year. Last season he finished second at Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, fourth in the E3 Saxo Classic and third in the Brabantse Pijl. This season, his only top-10 came in the E3-Prijs won by Mathieu van der Poel. The all-rounder will therefore hope for much more in 2026.

This year, Wellens said goodbye to teammate Juan Ayuso. The Spaniard split from UAE Team Emirates – XRG after a long-running saga. The 23-year-old climber had been at odds with the team for some time, and midway through the Vuelta a España it was announced that his contract had been terminated. “It is strange that contracts in professional cycling can be broken nowadays,” Wellens remarked.

Ayuso then signed with Lidl–Trek. “I’m sure Juan is doing it because he believes it’s the right decision,” said Wellens. “It’s difficult for me to say whether it was the right decision, but one thing is certain: Juan is a very confident rider and he will keep winning races.”

UAE Team Emirates – XRG will continue winning as well. Of course, Pogačar remains the undisputed star. Wellens and the Slovenian get along very well and often train together. “But not only Tadej,” Wellens emphasised. “It’s great to see how enthusiastic we all are about the races, and the overall impression is that of a happy team.”