"In the back of his mind, Ayuso likes that he is fourth in the GC" - Tom Dumoulin sees possible conflict within UAE Team Emirates
Cycling
It seemed as if everything played out perfectly for UAE Team Emirates on Col du Galibier. Breakaway was caught just in time to reduce the battle for stage only to race favourites and Tadej Pogacar still had two loyal teammates in a very select front group. Right?
At one point, it became clear Juan Ayuso was not as committed to helping his leader as Joao Almeida was. The Portuguese, who himself is hoping for a minor GC result, didn't like his younger teammates attitude on Galibier. Thus he summoned Ayuso with a hand gesture to the front of the group to take part on setting pace for Pogacar. This didn't pass the attention of expert and former pro Tom Dumoulin, who analyzed Ayuso's performance for NOS.
"Ayuso was not with his team all weekend. It is a bit of a normal course of events that you ride as a unit and hatch a plan. But Ayuso was always at the back and seemed to be struggling. Every now and then he was even on the elastic," he points out seeing the Spaniard often at the end of the group.
"Almeida really had to call him forward to help out once," Dumoulin saw. "Then he does help out, but he also comes third in the stage. Then I wonder: Ayuso, did you really give everything for your leader? He clearly didn't empty himself. That created annoyance with Almeida, completely rightly."
Dumoulin provides quite simple explanation of Ayuso's behaviour: "In the back of his mind, Ayuso likes that he is fourth in the rankings and might even end up on the podium. And that is also possible if you first fully support your leader and then continue to the finish. But now his work was very questionable. That will still be discussed within the team," Dumoulin expects.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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Now that’s what you call teamwork! 💪🚀🥇💛 #WeAreUAE #UAETeamEmirates #TDF2024
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