“I feel a bit sorry for Juan Ayuso” – Geraint Thomas & Luke Rowe urge UAE castoff to “go and make a name for yourself” at Lidl-Trek

Juan Ayuso’s messy departure from UAE Team Emirates - XRG has been one of the most talked-about storylines of the transfer window — and on the latest episode of the Watts Occurring podcast, Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe made it clear they fully understand why the Spaniard walked away. The pair sympathised with the 23-year-old’s situation and argued that his switch to Lidl-Trek is exactly the kind of reset he needed to finally “go and make a name for himself.”

Ayuso’s transfer, announced midway through a fractious 2025 Vuelta a Espana, came after two years of tension inside UAE: repeated clashes over internal hierarchy, disagreements with management, pressure to extend his contract to 2030, and even suggestions that his race programme could be restricted if he refused to sign.

Combined with public friction involving several teammates — most notoriously during the 2024 Tour — his time at UAE ended looking far less like the ideal environment for a rising Grand Tour contender.

Thomas and Rowe didn’t go into those specifics on the pod, but their tone made clear they understood why Ayuso felt boxed in.

Rowe opened the discussion by highlighting the significance — and inevitability — of Ayuso’s departure: “Another guy who’s broken a contract and moved on – and it seemed like there was a bit of controversy there, hope it’s all worked out – is Ayuso to Trek.”

He then outlined exactly what Lidl-Trek gain: “Trek are one of the best teams in the world. They perform in the Classics, they win sprints, they win multiple stages with guys like Mads Pedersen, but they’ve lacked in the GC ranks really. They’ve got Skjelmose, Ciccone – who’s going down a different route and said this year he doesn’t want to ride GC in Grand Tours. So that team was so well-rounded, but the one part of the puzzle they were missing was a world-class GC guy – and now they’ve got it.”

Thomas added that UAE were far more prepared to part with Ayuso than other teams facing high-profile departures: “Yeah. I think it’s slightly different to Remco Evenepoel's transfer in that UAE were probably more willing to let Ayuso go than Soudal - Quick-Step were to let Remco go, because Remco was the team really.”

Thomas then gave his clearest description of Ayuso’s character: “Ayuso wears his heart on his sleeve a bit, doesn’t he? Obviously a quality bike rider. I don’t know him well, but from the interactions I’ve had with him he’s just like a young… pit bull, really. A bit aggressive, wants to get stuck in, wants to win races – ambitious. That’s the word.”

Rowe believes moving was the only way Ayuso could step out of UAE’s overcrowded GC environment: “And you can, let’s be honest, 100% see why Ayuso did it. It’s clear as day. We don’t need to go through all the names, but there are all these GC guys at UAE and he’s just one of many."

"He’s finished third in a Grand Tour, fourth in a Grand Tour in ‘22, ‘23. The last few years he’s not really had full support in a Grand Tour," continues the Welshman. "He’s 23, mate – go make a name for yourself, go win a Grand Tour.”

Thomas then came back to the part he said at the very top of the show — and now backed it up: “Exactly. I feel a bit sorry for him with how it all happened – I’m sure the team didn’t want that either – but you can’t fault it. He’s an ambitious kid, he wants to go out and win races.”

Given Ayuso’s experience of internal rivalries at UAE, the strained Vuelta announcement, and the breakdown in trust with management over contracts and role clarity, Thomas’s sympathy now lands with much clearer weight.

With Ayuso arriving at a team that already enjoyed one of its best seasons in 2025, Thomas pointed out the timing is ideal: “Fair play to Lidl-Trek. They were probably one of the standout teams, for what they actually did. Green Jersey in each Grand Tour – they really stepped up this year. Fair play to them. And the one Achilles heel in the team – that big GC leader role – they’ve filled.”

Thomas also believes his former teammate and Giro d'Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart could have more presence next season, helping to give Ayuso a stable environment he never enjoyed at UAE.

“Coming back from his injuries. Tao was a bit up and down this year. But that’s what it’s like after a big injury. Look at Egan, look at Froome… you can go well, and then you get a little setback and it’s just hard. So fair play to Tao for that. He (Ayuso ed.) will have some decent boys around him – Ciccone and that. It’ll be interesting.”

For Thomas and Rowe, the conclusion is simple: Ayuso needed out, he needed leadership, and Lidl–Trek needed him.

Ayuso’s revelations about internal politics, communication breakdowns, pressure tactics, and feeling pitted against his own teammates frame the move in an even clearer light. For two riders who’ve lived through decades of team dynamics at the highest level, their advice is blunt and wholehearted. "Go make a name for yourself, go win a Grand Tour.”