"He wants to be the star of his team, but he may be in the wrong team for that" - Robbie McEwen questions Juan Ayuso's temperament

UAE Team Emirates - XRG can boast an all-star roster packed with superstars of today and potential superstar of the future. Shining amongst such illustrious company can be difficult for some though, and according to sprint legend Robbie McEwen, Spanish GC prospect Juan Ayuso might be finding that out the hard way.

“He has shown himself to be a strong rider, but I sometimes question his temperament," the Aussie ace explains in quotes collected by Marca. McEwen isn't exactly the first to raise such questions over Ayuso either, with some among his own team growing frustrated by the Spaniard's performances in a supporting role during the 2024 Tour de France, something that even led to some talk of an off-season transfer, although that never materialised.

"He wants to be the star of his team, but he may be in the wrong team for that," continues McEwen, himself a 24-time Grand Tour stage winner, questioning if Ayuso really is the future Grand Tour winning hope many see him as. "There are some good young riders, but I have yet to see the next superstar who will stand shoulder to shoulder with Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard.”

One of those clearly not fazed by the all-star lineup of UAE Team Emirates - XRG over recent seasons has been Joao Almeida. The Portuguese is, in McEwen's opinion at least, the better placed to compete for Grand Tour wins for UAE if Pogacar's absent. “I think Joao Almeida can be on the podium in the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana," theorises McEwen. "He has shown us a lot in recent years and always puts in a solid performance. He is a very consistent rider.”

As for the top guys in the sport though, McEwen doesn't expect them to be going anywhere anytime soon. “Pogacar, Evenepoel and Vingegaard are going to be at the top of the sport for a while yet," he explains. "But there are also other riders who can grow. Guys like Pogacar, Evenepoel and even riders like Peter Sagan are exceptional talents who burst onto the scene and immediately win the biggest races. That kind of progress is not the norm, it doesn’t happen every year."