"He is a winner" - Joxean Matxin certain Juan Ayuso can lead UAE Team Emirates to Grand Tour glory
Cycling
Although Tadej Pogacar is the undisputed leader of the UAE Team Emirates squad, there are still opportunities for the remaining stars at Grand Tours. One of those hopeful of getting leadership in 2025, will be Juan Ayuso.
One of the great hopes of Spanish cycling, Ayuso has had a few issues within UAE Team Emirates over the last year, most notably at the Tour de France where his support work was questioned and he evenutally left the race on stage 13, then being left completely out of the lineup for the Vuelta a Espana. According to team boss Joxean Matxin though, the 22-year-old retains the full faith of the UAE Team Emirates squad.
"He has already shown what he is capable of by finishing third (at the 2022 Vuelta a Espana ed.) and fighting with the best and working hard," Matxin says of Ayuso in conversation with Eurosport. "He is a rider with a lot of character, with a lot of potential, with a lot of talent and he is a winner."
With the 22-year-old Spaniard's racing programme for 2025 set to be unveiled on December 10th, all rumours are pointing towards a Giro d'Italia debut for Ayuso. Although Matxin doesn't explicitly confirm the speculation, he does reiterate his confirmation that Ayuso will have a positive season in the coming year and is a Grand Tour winner in waiting.
"I am convinced that we are going to see him triumph this year," Matxin insists, not holding too much weight in the thought that Ayuso's Tour de France drama will hold him back. "He has already been a domestique and if he has to do it again, he will have to do it again. I see him competing in a Grand Tour, I also see him helping out. He is a team rider and a rider who knows perfectly well that when you help someone, they will then help you with greater pleasure. This year he will help out and will have his sporting space."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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