"Every day my legs are hurting a little bit more" - Despite inexperience and Covid, Juan Ayuso remains high in GC at Vuelta a Espana

19-year old Juan Ayuso keeps breaking boundaries at the Vuelta a Espana, as he completed the second week of the race in flying form, despite currently being infected with Covid-19.

The UAE Team Emirates rider has been impressing throughout the race so far, and yesterday at Sierra Nevada he faced perhaps the most difficult ascent of his pro career. The Spaniard didn't enter the climb in a great position and was - alongside teammate João Almeida - dropped in it's first meters. He managed to get back to the wheel of Carlos Rodríguez within the ascent, and later on was joined by Almeida.

It was a very long climb at nearly 30km and also with altitude. I climbed at my own rhythm – and joined up with Joao, we rode together and thanks to that we were able to finish well-up on the classification today, not at the very front but very close," he described. With some tactical play, the duo dropped Rodríguez and made good time on him, with Ayuso managing to catch up and overtake Remco Evenepoel in the final kilometers of the stage.

"I’m racing day by day, every day my legs are hurting a little bit more but I’m happy where I am and it’s nice to be so close to the podium," he concluded. Ayuso managed to climb to fourth position on the day overtaking his country's national champion, and will be heading into the unknown at the final week.