"I hope the Giro will be won by a UAE rider" - Ayuso plays down plans of attacking Del Toro

The final week of the Giro d'Italia 2025 has begun, and not in the way Juan Ayuso would have liked. The Spaniard, 3rd overall, has UAE Team Emirates - XRG teammate Isaac del Toro leading, 1:20 ahead of Simon Yates.

For that reason, Ayuso will have to help the Mexican in the decisive mountain stages. This was confirmed by Matxín on the rest day, and whether or not he was unhappy with this decision is an unknown. Speaking to the press at the start of stage 16, here's what he said:

"I hope that the Giro d'Italia will be won by a UAE rider (him or Isaac del Toro).The best positioned obviously is Isaac and he has a good advantage over all our rivals. So we hope he can defend it," began Juan Ayuso.

"Isaac del Toro is an incredible person. When we have raced together, he has always been there for me. For sure there will be rivals that will put pressure on us, but I think we will be able to handle it," the Spaniard added.

Apparently accepting his role as Del Toro's domestique, Ayuso focused on talking about how difficult the mountain stages will be, especially because of the rain, which will be a key factor today.

"For my part, I'm taking it one day at a time. Today's stage is pretty horrible, to be honest. Rain, very hard climbs and 6 hours on the bike. It's going to be a brutal challenge," confessed the UAE rider.

Finally, Juan Ayuso points out the two riders who will be most dangerous for UAE Team Emirates - XRG in this final week of the Giro d'Italia.

"The danger from Simon Yates is great. He has passed the first two weeks perfectly. Also, he has a very strong team around him. I think he and Richard Carapaz are our two strongest rivals."