"He was the strongest rider today, hats off to him" - Juan Ayuso concedes defeat to Primoz Roglic at Volta a Catalunya 2025
Cycling
Juan Ayuso was left disappointed on the final stage of the 2025 Volta a Catalunya by "letting" his main GC rival Primoz Roglic get away on a climb, among other things, due to a tactical error.
After losing the final stage and the overall classification, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader explained what happened: "I didn't have the best legs, but the team helped me from the beginning. First, we lost the first intermediate sprint, but then we won the next one, so I was still in the lead. Then Red Bull had to play offensively. With three laps to go, I made contact with another rider and lost many positions. Red Bull saw that and pushed hard, I managed to get back to Roglic’s level, but then he attacked, took the gap, and won. He was the strongest rider today, hats off to him," began the Spaniard's assessment.
He also acknowledged that he learned a lot from the experience, admitting a major mistake that could have cost him the overall victory in the Volta: "I could imagine it, the circuit is very fast, I didn’t know if it would be on the third or second lap from the finish, but not on the last lap. That’s the way it is, it’s fine. I’ve learned a lot, and for next time, I know I can’t let another rider get to my wheel, I have to be right behind him. Egan Bernal moved out 20 meters from the top, and I couldn’t close that gap. If I had been on his wheel, maybe I could have stayed there, but as I said, he was the strongest, hats off to him."
Ayuso and Roglic will soon renew rivalries again, this time over three weeks. The pair will lead their respective teams at the upcoming Giro d'Italia and start as the two big pre-race favourites.
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A Slovenian 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞-𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐭 at Catalunya 🇸🇮🏆
— Velon CC (@VelonCC) March 30, 2025
The Slovenians have dominated the last three editions of the Volta a Catalunya with two overall victories for Roglič and one for Pogačar.
📸 Sprint Cycling pic.twitter.com/4WLj8oyAd1
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- If he's very lucky maybe he can podium a Tour one season, I certainly don't believe he can win it, evervappaxbipmv03-04-2025
- Yeah, as if fans would now have acquired a right to an MVPD every generation ;-)Jumpyjohn03-04-2025
- Yeah not this year anyway but worth keeping an eye on him (and some others) in future.Jumpyjohn03-04-2025
- poor kid, saddled with all that “next mvdp” crap. eeesh…OCexile03-04-2025
- I don't think so, maybe in a different GT, not in the Tour. Last year, to be 3rd, he would have to be better than Remco. And he wasn't, on any terrainvappaxbipmv03-04-2025
- Or sprinting, or against wind. I think by now they’ve optimised the tire tech and pressures to largely smooth out rider weight effects. BUT, I’m going to go through past podiums to see what weight distribution trends are to be spotted coz I’m curious now.Mistermaumau03-04-2025
- I also wasn’t too impressed by the final lead out, they’ve got to practice that, Wout had far too long to ride alone but then again it seemed as if the lead-outs had themselves run out of steam too early which is what makes me believe none of them could have won, Powfull looked totally fresh and in the end it was just a case of him being stronger than the others, not much you can do against that, just like you can’t outdo MVDP in the end when he’s in shape.Mistermaumau03-04-2025
- Exactly, a rider (or sprinter in athletics) can’t even tell themselves when it will happen until it does. Obviously if you have an idea that could happen, you should maybe envisage testing your theory with perhaps an small sharp attack well before race-end.Mistermaumau03-04-2025
- Yes but 20 minutes as a domestique isn’t 20 minutes as a leader, and you know as well as anybody that Pog winning is in no way a guarantee. Granted, neither Pog nor Remco nor Jinas nor Primoz or some more winning starts to seem far-fetched but a podium would certainly be targetable if he doesn’t have to worry about Jonas.Mistermaumau03-04-2025
- The final appeal he lost against his old team for « breaking » his contract.Mistermaumau03-04-2025