"It will not be the last of the problems" - Alberto Contador believes UAE will experience more internal disputes such as Juan Ayuso's
Cycling
Former Spanish cyclists Alberto Contador and Eduardo Chozas, regular Eurosport commentators, reacted yesterday to Juan Ayuso's departure from UAE Team Emirates - XRG. In Spain, during the Vuelta a Espana, the situation developed into a massive storm that took over, overshadowing the racing aspect.
Asked if it would have been better if Ayuso had not gone to the Vuelta, Contador said the following: "We don't know what they talked about before La Vuelta or if the deal was already done if it was in a more friendly way than it has been now. I would imagine that if the thing is red hot you wouldn't bring him to La Vuelta," he said in La Montonera.
"We don't know if he was included in the agreement since Tadej Pogacar wasn't coming. That would be interesting to know to understand a little more Ayuso's presence in La Vuelta. He could have made an alternative calendar without so many controversies".
Contador justified UAE's announcement of Ayuso's departure because of all the rumors that were emerging: "This has become very big, there came a time when they didn't know how to control it and they were forced to give the news". This was not taken well by Ayuso, who was told it would be coming out almost last minute, and with bad things to say about the wording in the team's announcement - he argued it was done on purpose to damage his immage.
The Spaniard explained that Roglic also came out of Visma badly, but that the Slovenian has a different profile. Ayuso, however, can't keep quiet about things, which has generated the whole mess:
"There has been talk of friction for a long time. Ayuso speaks clearly in front of a microphone and says these kinds of things. With Roglic it was different, he didn't make noise. When you have a team like UAE, when it takes so many leaders, so much talent that is exploding, the first few years you accept being at the service of someone, but when those young people are doing as well or better than the leader for whom you had to work, you say 'hey I consider myself well paid but I want an attractive sporting project'".
Contador, who early in his his career also had a few internal disputes - most notably with Lance Armstrong at the 2009 Tour de France - knows first-hand how the management of the team's talents is a key component of any World Tour project.
Contador concluded by predicting possible future problems of the same kind in UAE with other young talents, specially as they sign more and more young riders: "I think it will not be the last of the problems. When you have so many roosters in the same pen it is normal that there is some spark. They are all champions, they are all number one until they get here and it's complicated to live with so much talent".
Eduardo Chozas, multiple stage winner in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, shares his view of how the situation developed and how ultimately it erupted in an uncontrolled manners due to those involved and the media pressure on site in the Vuelta.
"I think the story starts to roll in last year's Tour, in the Galibier stage, there was a disagreement in that action that Almeida claimed and then little by little there has been a 'run run', a constant rumor. The final straw was in the Giro d'Italia with Del Toro. He didn't have a good Giro either, he had to withdraw and after that he changed managers and began to see the possibility of leaving the team and the agreement had to be reached recently".
João Almeida and Juan Ayuso lead Tadej Pogacar at the Col du Galibier, 2024 Tour de France. @Imago
Chozas believes UAE could have avoided all the bad blood with a different kind of statement: "So, of course, the procedure of communicating it on a rest day in the middle of the Vuelta a España is not good, especially giving too many details, too many".
"They could have made a shorter statement saying that they had reached an amicable agreement, that we are very happy and that we are going to separate from 2026. And that's it. That's what has hurt Ayuso on the other hand".
"The best thing when something like this happens is what has happened, that the paths are separated, but it has not been done in the right way, the communications could have been more concise, this has exploded in the middle of the Vuelta a España when there is half a race left."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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