“Ayuso hasn't disappointed me” – UAE stand by Ayuso despite Giro d’Italia collapse

For Mauro Gianetti and UAE Team Emirates – XRG, Stage 17 of the 2025 Giro d’Italia delivered welcome relief. The day before, the team’s GC prospects looked on the verge of collapse. Juan Ayuso had completely cracked, and Isaac Del Toro had only just clung to the maglia rosa by a handful of seconds. But on Stage 17, the tide turned: Del Toro not only defended the jersey, he won the stage in defiant, attacking fashion.

The 21-year-old Mexican now leads Richard Carapaz by 41 seconds and Simon Yates by 51. With two brutally mountainous stages still to come, nothing is certain, but Del Toro has now firmly established himself as the favourite to arrive in Rome in pink.

Yet while Del Toro’s stock is rising, Ayuso’s has taken a sharp fall. Once billed as a pre-race contender for overall victory, the 22-year-old Spaniard finished Stage 17 in the gruppetto. He now sits 26th overall, nearly 50 minutes down. For a rider once viewed as Tadej Pogacar’s heir apparent, it’s a staggering collapse.

Still, Gianetti is standing firmly by his young rider. “Ayuso hasn't disappointed me,” he insisted to Cyclingnews and La Gazzetta dello Sport. “When you don't feel well on one of the hardest stages of a Grand Tour, it's never easy to recover from it. He doesn't feel 100%, he's struggling to recover and is getting more and more fatigued.”

While Ayuso’s GC hopes are over, Gianetti is keen for him to play a meaningful role in the final days. “Now it's important he stays in the Giro and stays part of the team. He can perhaps help Isaac in the next few days and play an important part in the team's race.”

Throughout the Giro, both riders, and the team, have been quick to deny any tension within the camp, despite mounting speculation. The shift in hierarchy has been clear: this was meant to be Ayuso’s moment, a chance to step out of Pogacar’s long shadow. Instead, it is Del Toro, in his Grand Tour debut, who has emerged as the team’s shining star.

Ayuso remains under contract with UAE until 2028, a long-term commitment that has now been dubbed a gabbia dorata, a “golden cage.” Gianetti dismissed any suggestion of a break-up. “He's one of our riders. He's happy at UAE Team Emirates – XRG. Juan Ayuso has no intention of leaving the team and we have no plan to let him go.”

The Swiss manager was keen to remind critics that even the best riders face difficult moments. “Cycling is tough and still unpredictable,” he said. “Look at riders like Antonio Tiberi of Bahrain Victorious. He was really ambitious until a few days ago but then crashed and really suffered today. It's part of cycling. Juan won a lot in the first part of the season and raced a lot, perhaps he's paying for that.”

Still, for all the difficulties with Ayuso, Gianetti could not hide his emotion when speaking about Del Toro. “It's a bellissimo Giro. This was a great and very important day for us as a team. To see a young guy like Isaac Del Toro, a 21-year-old guy, show his character and ambitions is special,” he said.

“It's exceptional what he's doing. He took the maglia rosa in his first Giro when just 21 years old. He's suddenly discovered a totally new world. He knew it was beautiful but has now also realised that it comes with responsibility, each day before and after the stage but also towards the fans and the race.”

Del Toro has grown visibly over the past week, not just physically, but mentally. “That's all new to him but he's a campione,” Gianetti said. “He's learning and maturing every day, both mentally and physically. He's learnt to trust the team, road captains like Rafa Majka and Adam Yates, and his directeur sportif.”

Gianetti is not getting ahead of himself. “We're taking every day as it comes, one after the other, as we've always done,” he added. “There's some hard racing to come but Del Toro's win and his ride today will definitely boost his and our confidence. Let's see what happens.”