Juan Ayuso could also be forgiven for having déjà vu on the second relaxation day of the Vuelta a España. Final yr, on his debut on the age of 19, the Spaniard headed into the ultimate week at 4:49 down on race chief Remco Evenepoel following a brutal climb of Sierra Nevada.
This time round, with six days to go he is again in fourth place, albeit this time solely 2:37 off the crimson jersey, held by Sepp Kuss on the head of a Jumbo-Visma triumvirate.
Ayuso heads up a three-pronged assault of his personal at UAE Crew Emirates, with teammates Marc Soler (sixth at 3:10) and João Almeida (tenth at 8:39) additionally mendacity inside the highest 10 on GC.
The duo of trios face a harder ultimate week compared to 2022 – the Alto de L’Angliru and Puerto de la Cruz de Linares are the hardest of 4 upcoming mountainous days – with Ayuso seeing the disturbingly steep Angliru (the place the numbers of 12.4km and 9.8% one way or the other undersell the challenges of the climb) because the place to take the struggle to Jumbo-Visma.
“Having three guys like they did on Tourmalet will not be a lot of an impact as a result of being on the wheel is not a bonus,” Ayuso stated in Monday’s relaxation day press convention, referring to the Dutch squad’s domination of stage 13.
“I feel for us one of the best stage is Angliru. I feel the subsequent day, the Puerto de la Cruz de Linares is even tougher than Angliru. However there once more we have now climbs which, if you happen to’re within the wheel, it does assist.
“I feel the most important day the place everybody goes to try to tackle Jumbo is Angliru due to this. We simply must hope that on that day, they do not have the legs and that we will drop them.”
Within the quest to topple the Jumbo-Visma podium sitters, Ayuso and his UAE Crew Emirates teammates aren’t inclined to instantly search partnerships with different groups, nonetheless.
“On the facet of Almeida and Soler, after all, it is good to have them,” he stated. “However on the finish of the day, the opposite groups like Bahrain Victorious and Bora-Hansgrohe are nonetheless rivals.
“In fact, if there is a state of affairs the place we will work collectively to place Jumbo-Visma beneath stress then we’ll. Possibly we will race collectively however as I say, on the finish of the day they’re additionally rivals.”
‘Till we arrive in Madrid, something can occur’
Ayuso completed final yr’s Vuelta in third total, 4:57 down on Evenepoel and behind Movistar’s Enric Mas, who sits 29 seconds behind him heading into stage 16.
He lies at a minute behind three-time race winner Primož Roglič in second and 53 seconds down on Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard – the 2 males with 5 Grand Excursions to their title whereas the rest of the highest 10 have zero.
With the state of the GC standings – and Jumbo-Visma’s staggering dominance – in thoughts, it is no shock, then, that Ayuso sees the ‘killer bees’, somewhat than the Cantabrian and Asturian peaks, as the primary impediment throughout the Vuelta’s ultimate week.
“Their three riders have been strong thus far and have not had any weak days,” he stated. “And it is not solely the three riders on the rostrum but in addition the workforce behind them, all of the teammates they’ve. They’re the strongest workforce and on a really excessive degree, so for them, it is simple to regulate the race and put out the rhythm they need.
“They’re on a fantastic degree so it makes an assault from far actually, actually exhausting to do. However till we arrive in Madrid, something can occur. So, we have now to maintain the optimistic vibes going and carry on attempting.
“This yr the third week is totally different from final yr,” he added. “We have now the toughest phases developing now whereas final yr the toughest phases had been on the finish of the second week.
“I am sustaining my degree fairly effectively. I will the third week not with freshness however able to tackle the toughest phases so I am entering into with some confidence.”
Ayuso, whose rise within the sport has seen him sweep by means of the Spanish stage racing scene as a junior and win the U23 Giro d’Italia on the age of 18, has made one other step since final September, he stated, evaluating his GC place to the place he lay throughout final yr’s second relaxation day.
“Total, sure I’ve improved, and I feel that is what makes the distinction. Final yr I used to be getting into the second relaxation day in fourth on GC, however I used to be 5 minutes away from the chief’s jersey. This yr it is two minutes and a giant a part of it’s due to a giant breakaway [Kuss gained almost three minutes in a break on stage 6 – Ed.].
“To second and third – I feel I am lower than one minute, no? That reveals I’ve improved rather a lot and I am proud of that.”
Ayuso, who turns 21 on the penultimate day of the Vuelta, ascended to the white jersey as greatest younger rider on the momentous Tourmalet stage which noticed Evenepoel and Almeida drop 90km from the road.
He wore it final yr, too, after all, although solely as fellow under-25 rider Evenepoel was already in crimson. Now, he appears safe at 2:53 up on Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bora-Hansgrohe) within the classification. Nonetheless, his ultimate week is geared extra in the direction of a stage victory and a spot on the ultimate podium in Madrid.
“This yr I do really feel just like the white jersey is particular as a result of as you say it is the primary time it is truly mine,” Ayuso stated. “Final yr I wore it nearly all Vuelta, however it wasn’t truly mine – it was all Remco.
“So, this time is the primary time in a Grand Tour that it’s mine. For positive it is particular, however I feel that the ambitions and targets are for the rostrum and a stage win somewhat than the white jersey. However, as I say, it’s nonetheless particular as a result of it is the primary time it is mine.”