Simply 19 when the Vuelta a España led to Madrid final September, Juan Ayuso’s third place end noticed the UAE Group Emirates rider make historical past because the race’s youngest ever podium finisher, and the youngest of any Grand Tour in 118 years. However this August, Ayuso has received much more bold targets.
“I’d like to enhance on my GC inserting and get a stage win,” Ayuso stated in his pre-race press convention.
“I can be combating to do this in a stronger discipline and the route is way tougher than final 12 months, too, significantly the third week. However though I might have preferred to have raced extra this 12 months than I’ve performed, maybe now that may be a bonus, particularly because the final half is so arduous.”
The 2023 season has been a curler coaster for Ayuso, with a suspected neuralgia that affected a tendon in his decrease leg making for a substantial delay to his marketing campaign. After his season debut in late April, he received time trials on the Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse, in addition to taking second within the latter race.
He then got here frustratingly near victory within the Spanish Nationals solely to be foiled within the TT by an premature mechanical, and he subsequently crashed in two Basque one-day races, the Villafranca Ordizia and GP Getxo this summer season, struggling minor accidents in each.
Now in Barcelona for the Vuelta a España begin, and using alongside established native stars Enric Mas (Movistar) and Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious), Ayuso will fly the flag for the nation’s youthful era in his dwelling Grand Tour.
Within the absence of Spain’s different up-and-coming GC racer Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers), who completed seventh final 12 months and not too long ago took fifth and an Alpine stage win within the Tour de France, the highlight can be on Ayuso with much more depth than final 12 months. However he doesn’t seem too troubled by that.
“I’m doing effectively and I’m prepared,” Ayuso instructed reporters. “The build-up went effectively, and if it hadn´t been for these two crashes in Ordizia and Getxo, it might have been excellent. Happily, neither of them produced any long-term penalties.”
Having made historical past final 12 months within the Vuelta, Ayuso recognised he was feeling a level of strain, “particularly due to being on the rostrum in 2022.”
“I haven’t raced a lot, which isn’t best. However I’ve come right here lastly feeling I’m almost at 100% and hopefully I’ll be capable of construct on that.”
After so many setbacks this 12 months, Ayuso says that he’s “mentally lots stronger” in consequence. However that’s not the one change.
“Bodily, I’ve just a few extra watts, hopefully, in comparison with final 12 months, and above all I’m feeling extra skilled,” he stated. “I’m much more assured about all of it.”
Ayuso is not going to be the only real GC chief within the UAE group, both. Joao Almeida, whose third place total within the Giro d’Italia represented a breakthrough for the Portuguese teammate, is one other main challenger for the general. Almeida’s fifth place within the Vuelta final 12 months was considerably eclipsed by his teammate’s podium end in Madrid. However on the very least, Almeida’s presence on the Barcelona begin line means UAE will as soon as once more be capable of use a two-pronged GC technique on the roads of Spain this summer season.
“My preparation final 12 months for the Vuelta was not best in any respect, I had quite a few setbacks,” stated Almeida, who not too long ago positioned a detailed second on the Tour de Pologne. “This 12 months I’m going a lot better, so let’s see how we get on as a result of the peloton is fairly sturdy.”
Ayuso described himself as being “thinner than ever” in an interview with Spanish newspaper AS, the place he additionally welcomed Almeida’s presence as co-leader. “And I hope that’s not going to be an issue. There are two of us in UAE for the GC and given the opposition, that may solely be an excellent factor,” he stated.
“Most likely neither João nor me are on the degree of Vingegaard and Primoz Roglič or Evenepoel, but when we race effectively collectively, we are able to battle.
“Apart from Pogačar, we’re virtually all right here, the highest 5 – 6 riders on the market. It’s going to be good for my head to race in opposition to all of them, to know the place I stand in relation to them, and the way a lot I want to enhance to be up there.”
No matter what occurs within the battle with the Belgian star, like Evenepoel, he’ll be capable of use the 2023 Vuelta as a benchmark for a future participation within the Tour.
“In fact, and I’d even go as far as to say that this 12 months’s lineup is much more spectacular than within the Tour,” he stated. “So once I do go, I’ll have added confidence.”
However first there’s the Vuelta, and whereas the race’s first week levels in his dwelling area of Valencia, the place he grew up, can be a lift to his morale, the heightened native strain of 2023 in comparison with 2022 was not an issue, he insisted.
“This 12 months there are larger expectations about what I can do, however that’s a part of the sport, and I believe it’s good in a manner as a result of it means I did effectively final 12 months. I really feel that strain is a manner of motivating myself. Individuals consider in me and that’s all the time received its good aspect.”