DISCUSSION Clásica de San Sebastián | Did UAE make the right choice bringing Ayuso to replace Pogacar at the Vuelta?

The Clásica de San Sebastián is always one of the most entertaining one-day races in the final stretch of the cycling season, and today it delivered once again. The race featured a high-level lineup, including riders like Isaac del Toro, Maxim van Gils, Giulio Ciccone, and Juan Ayuso, who returned to competition after last racing in the Giro d’Italia. Some of the most prominent riders on the Tour de France, such as Oscar Onley, Tobias Johannessen, and Neilson Powless, were also making an appearance in this race.

Juan Ayuso was the biggest attraction of the race, with plenty of anticipation around his form following his withdrawal from the Giro and UAE’s recent decision to include him in their Vuelta a España lineup. But soon after the first attacks were made in the peloton, it became evident that he was not yet in his best shape, as he was dropped very early in the race. This has raised concerns about whether UAE did the right thing by selecting Ayuso as Pogacar’s replacement over other teammates.

Isaac del Toro and Jan Christen led the team in an exhilarating head-to-head competition against LIDL-Trek and Giulio Ciccone. Ultimately, it was Ciccone, the Italian rider, who claimed a prestigious victory, succeeding Hirschi as the winner of the Clásica de San Sebastián.

Once the stage finished, we asked some of our writers to share their thoughts and main takeaways about what happened today.

Great disappointment for Juan Ayuso in his return to competition. Some may say that he had not competed for more than 2 months and it is a bit harsh to describe his performance as disappointing, but Giulio Ciccone also abandoned in the Giro d'Italia and gave a cycling lesson to everyone.

Bummer for UAE Team Emirates XRG, who got to have two representatives in a leading trio and was not able to beat Ciccone. Jan Christen came as a gregario and it was hard to think that he could win the race. He did too much at the age of 21 by finishing second in the Clasica de San Sebastian.

However, Isaac del Toro was showing signs of being the top favorite and could only finish fifth. He may have suffered from the succession of days of competition in recent weeks or the difference in level with respect to the races in which he had been shining. Whatever the reason, he could not even finish on the podium and it is a disappointment for what was expected of him.

Not all experience is the same. In this edition of the Clásica San Sebastián, it was Primoz Roglic who at one point shook things up at the front of the race. Isaac Del Toro and Giulio Ciccone took advantage and quickly built up a lead of nearly a minute. One final test remained in the Basque Country: the steep climb of the Murgil Tontorra. Everyone expected the Mexican to drop the Italian there—but then came a rocket from behind. His name? Jan Christen.

The young talent came flying up and closed the 40-second gap to the leaders in one go. Suddenly, Del Toro cracked, and the Swiss rider thought, “Never mind, I’m climbing so fast I’ll just keep going.” But that turned out to be a major miscalculation. Ciccone waited maybe a second and a half before latching onto Jan Christen’s wheel.

Just moments later, the Italian launched his own attack and left both young guys blushing. In the end he deservedly took the win. Youthful overconfidence undid the two UAE riders. Had they each been five years older, this likely wouldn’t have happened. Experience plays a major role in cycling.

In the end, Primoz Roglic had no impact on this edition of the Clásica San Sebastián—another important takeaway. And he has no excuse. He's very experienced.  

UAE came to this race as the squad to beat, with two clear favourites: Ayuso and Del Toro. There were no doubts about Del Toro’s form. After finishing the Giro in second place, he won the Tour of Austria and performed really well in some one-day Spanish races. But Ayuso’s form was a mystery, at least for everyone outside the UAE team. Following the surprising news of his inclusion in the Vuelta’s lineup as a replacement for Pogacar, one could think that Juan had recovered his form. Nothing could be further from the truth.

As soon as the pace in the peloton was accelerated, following Roglic’s move, the Spaniard was dropped and confirmed that he is not in his best shape yet. Perhaps he just needs more time to prepare after the issues he faced during the Giro, or maybe he is just mentally blocked. But racing alongside Issac del Toro has not been a good sign for him recently.

The Mexican climber is currently one of the most solid and consistent riders in the entire peloton. He is having great legs and doesn’t seem to be affected by all the noise surrounding his team whenever Ayuso competes with him, which shows a strong personality and character. He is already a great leader, but I am sure he will be a better one in the future, as he becomes more experienced. Today, he lacked a bit of calm and communication with his teammate Jan Christen, and they both missed an opportunity to win against Ciccone.

The Italian rider himself claimed that he didn’t expect a straight win coming out of two months without racing following his withdrawal from the Giro. This was a similar case to Ayuso’s. The Italian is also planning to compete in La Vuelta in some weeks, and today he has shown that he is in very good shape.

I still think that Ayuso has a lot of time ahead to continue his preparation for the Vuelta a España, and I am sure he will find better legs, as he starts competing more. But it is inevitable to wonder whether UAE made the right choice by selecting him over other teammates. He is supposed to share the co-leader role with Joao Almeida, but what would happen if he performs as in the Giro? Mentally speaking, that would be a hard shock for the Spaniard. He might end up assuming the role of a domestique, and we know that is something he is not really fond of.

If there’s one thing UAE Team Emirates isn’t lacking, it’s depth. With so many strong climbers in their ranks, they could easily have chosen someone else instead of Ayuso. Del Toro, for example, would have been a perfect option, but UAE has repeatedly stated they’re not in favor of young riders doubling up on Grand Tours. In Ayuso’s case, however, they’ve clearly made an exception.

Time will tell us if UAE has made the right decision. In the meantime, let’s enjoy the remaining races before the Vuelta. For now, it looks like Del Toro will be competing in the Vuelta a Burgos next week, and tomorrow we have the Circuito de Getxo, another exciting Spanish one-day race.