"I dream of being like him, so to do that I would have to beat him" - Juan Ayuso determined to reach Tadej Pogacar's level

At their December training camp, UAE Team Emirates confirmed both Juan Ayuso and Adam Yates for the Giro d'Italia in 2025. Whether the pair will form a dual-pronged leadership strategy for UAE Team Emirates or act as a pair of super-domestiques for Tadej Pogacar remains to be seen however.

Ayuso infamously got into trouble with his UAE Team Emirates teammates for his questionable domestique riding at the 2024 Tour de France in service of Pogacar. In conversation with Bici Pro though, the Spaniard insists he has no concerns about the Slovenian potentially taking over leadership at the Giro d'Italia next year.

"I'm going to the Giro and if Tadej comes too, then there will be two of us and it's not a problem," Ayuso begins with a smile. "I'm completely focused on the Giro, it's one of the biggest goals for next season . In terms of preparation, nothing changes for me. You always prepare to the best of your ability, in the best possible way. If Tadej were there, we would race in one way, if he doesn't, everything would change, but the focus on the Giro doesn't change."

Despite some reports earlier this year of unrest at UAE Team Emirates over Ayuso's domestique work, or lack of it, the Spaniard himself insists he has nothing but respect for the current world champion, although he doesn't necessarily look to Pogacar for advice. "I think everything is easier for Tadej than for any of us, so it is quite difficult to get advice. He's the best in the world and everything he does makes it look easier than it really is," Ayuso explains. "I have a lot of friends outside of cycling who don't watch a lot of racing. Then they see Tadej doing certain things and think it's normal. And I tell them it's not. Tadej is a good guy to have around and it's better to have him on your side than as an opponent."

"He is the best in the world. It's like when you see Messi with the ball and how he goes around everyone . That may seem easy too, but then you see all the others and you understand that they can't do it. I think in cycling he is like Messi," Ayuso adds. "If he is considered the best rider in the world today, I guess to do better I will have to take his place. But if I were to say such a thing, who knows what you in the press would say? So I will just say that one day I would like to be better than him, because he is the best rider in the world. I dream of being like him, so to do that I would have to beat him. Of course I don't want this to create a misunderstanding because Tadej is not a rival, but my yardstick. He sets the bar and you have to try to reach it."