"He's definitely not a team player" - Juan Ayuso criticized by UAE teammate Florian Vermeersch

It is not often that disagreements and criticism between teammates makes it into the public eye when it comes to World Tour teams. On paper, Florian Vermeersch and Juan Ayuso are not teammates anymore, but the Belgian does not have the best image of the Spaniard and shares a story from this past year that has left him questioning Ayuso's sportsmanship.

UAE and Ayuso was a story that looked to click very well at first, but over the years did not fit together. Once the Spaniard encountered some problems from 2024 onwards, mainly at that year's Tour de France where he didn't seem to want to be at the full disposal of the team's goals and then abandoned ill, things began to go sideways.

He was still given a leadership role at this year's Giro, but a crash derailed his race, and in a team with so much talent he simply did not have room to follow his ambitions. Hence it was natural that a split would occur, with the decision being made this summer and Ayuso joining Lidl-Trek.

The two never actually raced together, showcasing the size of a modern World Tour team and how even teammates may not see each other all year long. But the Belgian never had a good impression of Ayuso and explains why:

"Ayuso is certainly not my best friend, but I don't know him well either. I did one training camp with him, and he rode twenty meters ahead of the group the whole time," Vermeersch revealed in an interview with Bahamontes. "So he's definitely not a team player".

With Tadej Pogacar, Vermeersch said the complete opposite words: "He's also a super chill guy and an incredible team player. That's how I got to know him right away when we went out with the riders for a few evenings on our own during the first team days in Abu Dhabi last year. He loves to foster a sense of community."

"I hear he's good for his teammates when they're riding for him and everything's going well, but when he's bad himself or when he has to return the favor, like in the Giro, things often go wrong," Vermeersch believes. "We'll definitely miss a few victories without him, because he is and remains a world-class rider. But we'll miss him less for the team atmosphere."