"It was very important to win today" - Juan Ayuso puts his foot down at Giro d'Italia's first big climbing challenge

Stage 7 of the Giro d'Italia 2025 will be one that Juan Ayuso will remember for the rest of his life. The Spaniard, on the final climb to Tagliacozzo, attacked with 500 meters to go to finish alone. He took a solo win, but above all a psychological blow to Primoz Roglic who has lost a bit of time at the line in a climb that was good for his attributes.

The UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader had lost time in the first days of the race. But it was only on the first big mountain day that he showed that his status as favorite alongside Roglic to win the overall was fully justified.

"It's a big step for me. It's the fourth Grand Tour of my career. Sometimes I came very close to victory. So to do it for the first time today, in my first Giro d'Italia, is something very special that I will always remember," Ayuso began by remarking to the press after the stage.

Ayuso waited patiently for his moment. First he let Egan Bernal attack. The Colombian had very good legs, reaching the finish line in third position, however Ayuso took advantage of the fact that Roglic was not well positioned after Bernal's move, and went all out for the win:

"I knew that what I had to do was to attack in a finish as explosive as this one. I let others start the attacks, and when I saw my moment I went all out to the finish," added Juan Ayuso.

Finally, the importance of winning this stage was paramount, as UAE's leader declared. Sunday's stage in Siena is very difficult and could be dangerous for the overall favorites:

"It was very important to win today, especially to recover the sensations after losing time in the first days. So for sure this victory gives me a lot of confidence for the next days. Tomorrow I hope to get to the finish line well, because Sunday's Siena stage is going to be very, very difficult for the men in the general classification," concluded Juan Ayuso. He is now only 4 seconds away from the pink jersey of the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider.