"I tried to help Remco Evenepoel fight for the win" – Juan Ayuso admits vain attempt to chase down trade teammate Tadej Pogacar at European Championship 2025

As Tadej Pogacar soared to yet another emphatic solo victory on the European stage, those left chasing him were not only fighting for silver — they were grappling with questions of tactics, teamwork, and, in the case of Juan Ayuso, personal loyalties.

The 23-year-old Spaniard, long heralded as a generational talent and once tipped to be the future of UAE Team Emirates - XRG, admitted after the race that he had tried — in vain — to help Remco Evenepoel close the gap to Pogacar in the final two hours of Sunday’s explosive European Championship road race.

“We could see him (Pogacar),” Ayuso told TNT Sports after crossing the line in 6th, more than four minutes down on the eventual winner Pogacar. “But at first there was quite low co-operation with France and Italy — I don’t know why. They decided not to pull in our group, but to pull in the group behind. For me, that made no sense.”

“I tried to help Remco fight for the win," Ayuso added. "But I was also on the limit. Remco was the strongest in the group and went ahead.”

Ayuso found himself in a select four-man chase group that included Evenepoel, Christian Scaroni, and rising French star Paul Seixas, after Pogacar launched his now-trademark long-range attack with 75km to go. Despite having the Slovenian champion within sight on several of the climbs, the quartet couldn’t organise an effective pursuit — and the gap only grew.

With Evenepoel doing the majority of the work and the rest of the group offering little in return, Ayuso’s efforts were ultimately futile. His post-race remarks revealed not just frustration at the lack of cohesion, but also an underlying determination to challenge Pogacar — his teammate, for now.

Ayuso and Pogacar have long shared the same colours at UAE Team Emirates - XRG, but the two have never quite shared equal footing. While Pogacar has cemented himself as the team’s undisputed leader, Ayuso has often been forced into playing a supporting role, one that hasn't always gone well — a situation that, by the end of this season, will no longer apply.

Ayuso is set to leave UAE at the end of 2025, with a blockbuster transfer to Lidl-Trek already confirmed. His move to the American-backed World Tour squad is widely seen as a bid to escape Pogacar’s shadow and build a team around himself.

And though he remained diplomatic after the European Championships, there was an unmistakable edge to his comments — a glimpse of the ambition that has driven him to seek new pastures.