"Ayuso is a leader, but he has to find a place where he can develop his full potential" - Alberto Contador

Alberto Contador has given his opinion on the ongoing battle for the Vuelta a Espana win featuring Jonas Vingegaard and João Almeida, but also on UAE's tactics, Juan Ayuso and the ongoing protests against Israel - Premier Tech that are affecting the race.

On the Spanish presence in the general classification, which currently lacks a man in the Top10: "Baldestrone is fighting to get into the top ten, because it was going to be the first time that there was not going to be a Spanish rider in the top ten. But we saw a well-deserved victory for Marc," Contador said to Cadena Cope.

Regarding UAE's performance and Soler's victory, he said: "I think everyone is happy with the victory because it was a complicated situation. UAE was pulling behind and was putting Marc in danger of winning or not. And it's normal that his team is already looking for the overall, even though Almeida didn't move in the end. We also thought that Vingegaard was going to crush his rivals and Almeida managed to come out alive and strong".

'El Pistolero' believes it will be hard for the first two to switch positions, and it will very much depend on fatigue in the final week. "We are seeing him very well, but everything will depend on how the race evolves. Almeida said he was hoping that Vingegaard would feel the fatigue of the Tour and it seems he doesn't have the same freshness. But at 48 seconds it's not a scenario that Vingegaard likes, although he never fails and he's my favorite."

Another topic discussed was the departure of Juan Ayuso from UAE. "I think it's the best solution for both parties. And it's a relationship in which we already saw some friction two years ago and that's never good. There is a lot of quality in the team and that is one of the reasons why they have seven stage wins with four different riders. And you have to know how to manage all that".

He also gave the young rider some direct advice: "He has to find his place. If he has great ambitions, but in the same team you have the best rider in the world, like Pogacar, it's an incompatible situation. I think Ayuso is a leader, but he has to find a place where he can develop his full potential".

Finally, he referred to the protests in favor of Palestine that have been experienced in La Vuelta: "It seems that the protests have multiplied in La Vuelta and I think that, as long as all the demonstrations are peaceful, there is no problem. In the end, we are all seeing what is happening. And I think the UCI, right now, is thinking about making a decision".