"He can win the World Championships" - Bruyneel and Martin still believe Juan Ayuso can achieve a lot in 2025
Cycling
Juan Ayuso abandoned yesterday the Giro d'Italia after a series of misfortunes that have made it impossible for him to reach Rome. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider has not had a good time since he crashed on stage 9 and later on a bee sting in the face forced him to leave the race prematurely.
On The Move podcast, Johan Bruyneel argued that bad luck was the determining factor in the Spaniard's withdrawal: "Ayuso had a harder crash than we initially thought on the gravel stage, he had knee problems and then the wasp thing, there's not much more you can do, he would have preferred to finish the race".
"Nobody who starts a three-week race with big ambitions, even if they don't achieve them, you want to finish the three weeks if you're already in the 18th". Ayuso wanted to have finished the race and helped his team according to his own words, but struggled in the early kilometers of stage 18 and abandoned shortly after getting dropped.
"He's not going to ride another grand tour this year, he's not going to ride the Tour or the Vuelta. He will focus on one-week races and the World Championships," the Belgian pundit argues - the Tour de France is not an option, and the Vuelta a España is quite unlikely with both Tadej Pogacar and João Almeida set to start.
"We shouldn't be hard on him. He's been criticized a lot about being too individual, but at the end of the day he's a great talent who's only 22 years old, there's no need to be in a hurry. He's won a lot of races this year and things don't always go his way".
In this regard, Spencer Martin said that he imagines the Valencian wearing the rainbow jersey next year because the Rwandan Worlds course fits his attributes: "He can win the World Championships, it is a race that suits him very well".
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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.
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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)...
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- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
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- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026
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