The first big test of the Giro d'Italia 2025 for Juan Ayuso comes now. The Spaniard will face the race's first mountaintop finish this Friday, on stage 7. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG star is 18 seconds behind Primoz Roglic, and wants to go all out for the Slovenian.
Ayuso made this clear in his latest statements to Marca: "Every day I have more racing rhythm," Juan Ayuso begins by noting about the crash he suffered in the opening stage. "The rest day helped me a little bit to settle down. I think I'm improving with each stage. And tomorrow will be the first big test of this Giro, which to be honest has been a bit of a wait."
All eyes will be on the final climb to Tagliacozzo, almost 12 kilometers at 6% with final 2 kilometers at 9%, where Ayuso and UAE will have the advantage that Roglic's key domestique Jai Hindley had to abandon as a main victim of a mass crash during stage 6.
Juan Ayuso's warning
Although stage 7 will be the first test of the overall, and the only pure mountain stage in this week's Giro d'Italia, Juan Ayuso also wanted to put emphasis on Sunday's stage 9. There he believes it could be a trap for the men in the general classification:
"The Siena stage can mark a lot of the Giro d'Italia. You can have a bit of bad luck and lose a lot of time already. The ideal would be to arrive at the rest day in front," concluded the Spanish UAE rider.
After finishing stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia, as no rider's times were taken, Ayuso is still in 6th position in the general classification, but as the 2nd of the favorites, only behind Primoz Roglic, who is 2nd with the aforementioned 18 seconds advantage over the Barcelona rider. Ahead, Mads Pedersen remains as Maglia Rosa, and watch out that in Paris-Nice he showed he can defend well in the mountains.
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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