Conversations between Juan Ayuso and Movistar Team: Is it the possible bombshell of the cycling market?
Cycling
As it has been known since the last Tour de France, where he abandoned by his own decision after contracting COVID, there has seemingly been some tension within UAE Team Emirates and the Spaniard was ultimately not taken to the Vuelta a España. Although unlikely, within the Vuelta bubble the word has been getting around that Movistar is in contact with the youngster.
As reported by Nacho Labarga in MARCA, for this reason there have been conversations between Movistar Team and Ayuso's own entourage regarding the open market. As demonstrated last year by trying to sign Carlos Rodriguez, the team is eager to have a Spanish star in its squad for the long-term future.
However, these talks do not seem likely to come to fruition with respect to the interests of Movistar Team, who currently have only 20 riders signed for 2025 and still need to secure more. Despite the fact that Ayuso's situation in UAE is complicated for him, Joxean Fernández Matxín made it clear in statements to CyclingUpToDate this weekend that the Spaniard "is patrimony" of the UAE team, and that "he has a contract until 2028".
It is clear that right now there is nothing that can make UAE Team Emirates get rid of a rider of Juan Ayuso's talent in this very cycling market, although there are no impossibilities in a world as changing as the one of cycling at World Tour level. Cian Uijtdebroeks' sudden departure from BORA last year and signing for Visma makes it clear that you can't rule anything out.
This interest of Movistar Team could even be considered "desperate" to try to make an addition to compensate for the drama that is coming to the team with the departures of Alex Aranburu and Oier Lazkano at the end of 2024, another difficult situation for the team that also lost Matteo Jorgenson last year and was unable to have a big signing.
The situation is not even similar to that of Carlos Rodríguez last year. The rider from Almuñécar was practically a done deal with Movistar Team, and was to become their star signing. But a dramatic last-minute twist (due to his great Tour de France) saw INEOS Grenadiers go all-out to renew him, and the team lost a golden opportunity that it is now trying to emulate with its desire to start negotiations for Juan Ayuso.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling forRafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
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👀🧗🏻♂️ Primer contacto con la montaña en #LaVuelta24: llega el Pico Villuercas
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