“It’s clear that João Almeida is not in the Juan Ayuso camp" - Are Portuguese's Strava posts another sign of UAE civil war?

UAE Team Emirates - XRG remain the peloton's leading team in almost all regards. That's not to say that things are all rosy however, with the situation surrounding Juan Ayuso raising a lot of questions. As rumours intensify that the Spaniard could be heading for the exit door, analysts are looking for signs of a UAE civil war everywhere.

According to Dutch ex-pro turned expert Thijs Zonneveld, there could be much more than meets the eye when it comes to Ayuso's relationship with the rest of his UAE Team Emirates - XRG teammates. “The pro-Ayuso camp is trying to spin it as though everyone is being overly harsh on him, insisting that he’s actually a good teammate. But the anti-Ayuso camp is definitely pouring fuel on the fire,” analyses the Dutchman in quotes collected by Wieler Revue.

As we mentioned, it does feel like some analysts are looking for signs of a UAE civil war wherever they can find them, and for Zonneveld, the latest of these signs has come in the form of a Strava update by Ayuso's teammate, João Almeida.

“He’s currently on a training camp where UAE often goes. There’s a prestigious KOM climb there that used to belong to Ayuso. Now, Almeida almost never posts on Strava — you only see stuff he's proud of, like his win in the Tour de Suisse last year. Last year he uploaded something saying, ‘Just to see if I have the KOM.’ So clearly, he does care about that sort of thing," Zonneveld explains. "This year, he hadn’t posted anything — until now. On this training camp, he attacked Ayuso’s KOM and posted it. It’s already been taken down, but the message was clear. He wanted that email to land: ‘João A. stole your KOM.’”

“It’s clear that Almeida is not in the Ayuso camp. And honestly, the chances that Ayuso leaves the team next year are pretty high. He’s got a long-term contract, but this is starting to look like a campaign to force him out,” continues Zonneveld, noting how the Spanish talent won't be riding his home Grand Tour in 2025. “That plan has been shot down — because Pogacar will be riding there. Meanwhile, Almeida is looking solid for the Tour de France. With 'Pogi' leading the team, he wants to be the last man standing beside him.”