"I'm disappointed by the lack of authority" - Bruyneel rips into handling of Ayuso - UAE divorce

Johan Bruyneel has given a detailed assessment of Juan Ayuso’s situation at UAE Team Emirates - XRG, speaking on Lance Armstrong’s The Move podcast with Spencer Martin. He argued that both the team and the young Spaniard are mishandling this year’s Vuelta a España 2025, with consequences for João Almeida’s race. According to Bruyneel, the issue is a lack of authority inside UAE’s structure, where management has failed to impose order on a talented but strong-willed rider.

"If you don't follow the team's instructions, what we've seen happens. It's a complicated situation. On the one hand, I think it was Matxín, who is Spanish and has a very close relationship with Ayuso, who took him to the team. He is between two fires. But as a structure, someone has to impose himself and say: 'This is the agreement. Whoever doesn't accept it has no place here.' And if Ayuso wants to leave, fine, set a price and negotiate. That's what I would do."

Bruyneel focused on Almeida’s complaints about being left alone in Valdezcaray, where he lost ground to Jonas Vingegaard. "What surprised me most about Almeida's statements was the reference to the five minutes. Let's think: he's barely 40 seconds behind Jonas Vingegaard after the first rest day of the Vuelta. If he had been told that at the start of the race, he would have signed it without hesitation. And that's why I think Ayuso could have made the difference, even if it was by pulling a kilometer or kilometer and a half. It would have helped Almeida, it would have improved his own image and it would have strengthened the team's atmosphere. That kilometer was worth gold."

He continued by underlining how little was needed. "The most striking thing is that Almeida lacked only one kilometer of help. All the damage came in Jonas' initial attack. It's understandable that Almeida lost a few seconds on the hardest part, but if Ayuso had stayed by his side and carried him one more kilometer, until the slope softened, Almeida would have been able to hook up. Then he even got ten seconds on Vingegaard in the last kilometer. Imagine if they had arrived together."

For Bruyneel, the responsibility lies on both sides. "From the outside, it doesn't give a good impression. It's the responsibility of both the rider and the team. If you know that Ayuso is a cyclist with an individualistic character, you have to manage it. Let's not forget that until the last stage of the Volta a Catalunya he had won almost everything he raced this year, and he only lost that race on the last day. Then he failed in the Giro and now he's not at 100% in the Vuelta, but he's still a top level rider. Still, I'm disappointed with the lack of authority of the management to handle the situation."

Looking ahead, Bruyneel sees the impact on team dynamics. "Maybe, with all that's left of the mountains, in the end it won't matter because Vingegaard is very strong and it seems difficult for him to escape the Vuelta. But today, after nine stages, the situation is what it is. It was a mistake by Ayuso and a mistake by the team for not imposing authority. And, honestly, I think this episode marks a before and an after: you can no longer take Ayuso to the Tour de France with Pogacar. There is no confidence."

He also addressed Ayuso’s looming departure, with Lidl-Trek widely seen as his next destination. "So why hold him back? Maybe because Matxín felt a personal relationship with Ayuso and his family, which put him in an uncomfortable position. But sometimes you have to make tough decisions, and this is one of them. Everything points to his fate being Lidl-Trek, according to reports and rumors in networks. It makes sense: Lidl is investing heavily to position itself among the big teams. The unknown is whether they will be able to manage it. Ayuso is a very interesting rider, but expensive and not easy to manage."

Still, Bruyneel questions whether Lidl-Trek really needs him. "The funny thing is that, although Ayuso is very good — he has eight professional victories this year after practically no racing in the summer — Lidl-Trek already has two riders who have won more than him: Mads Pedersen, third in the standings, and Jonathan Milan, seventh. So it's not like the team desperately needs riders capable of winning. They have someone similar, like Ciccone, although Ayuso is probably a more complete rider, or at least a more promising one. In theory."

He closed by pointing to a potential flaw in the signing. "The problem is that he hasn't finished a grand tour since 2023, although he did get on the podium then. The question is how many riders in the overall, really top-level riders, have had in their career such an early moment where they just switch off. Even in this very Vuelta a España, Mikel Landa is still fighting for the overall, when he could have just let go and looked for stages."