"It's good to win here in France, before the Tour" - Juan Ayuso's confidence boosted by Faun-Ardèche Classic victory

2024 could be a defining year in the career of UAE Team Emirates' Juan Ayuso. The 21-year-old Spaniard had already started brightly and can now add a Faun-Ardèche Classic victory to his palmares.

The reason why this is such a big year in the career of the prodigious Spanish talent... For the first time in his career, Ayuso takes on the Tour de France later this summer as part of an all-star UAE Team Emirates lineup alongside the likes of Tadej Pogacar, Adam Yates and Joao Almeida.

Therefore, some early season success on French soil is understandably a big confidence booster for Ayuso at this early stage of the campaign. “I like this race. I did it a few years ago and my teammate won (Brandon McNulty in 2022 ed.)," reflected Ayuso in his post-race interview. 

Coming into the finale in a top quality, four-man group with Romain Gregoire, Mattias Skjelmose and Felix Gall, with the peloton chasing hard, Ayuso managed to hold off all his rivals for the 5th win of his career. "I’m happy, my teammates did a great job all day," he concludes. "It's good to win here, in France, before the Tour."