“Jonas Vingegaard will have to take responsibility" - Juan Ayuso puts pressure on Vuelta rival and vows to support João Almeida if needed

Juan Ayuso heads into the 2025 Vuelta a Espana insisting the burden of expectation lies firmly on the shoulders of Jonas Vingegaard, while also making clear he is ready to sacrifice his own ambitions in support of UAE Team Emirates - XRG teammate João Almeida.

The 22-year-old Spaniard had not been scheduled to ride his home Grand Tour this season, with team management repeatedly stressing his focus would be solely on the Giro d’Italia. But when Tadej Pogacar declined to race the Vuelta, UAE called Ayuso into action, leaving him to confront the challenge of doubling up at Grand Tours for the first time in his career.

“Vingegaard will have to take responsibility,” Ayuso said in remarks to EFE. “He’s won two Tours and is the best rider after Tadej Pogacar. He should shoulder the weight of the race.”

Ayuso’s Giro campaign ended in disappointment, abandoning after a difficult first half of the race. That experience, however, provides motivation rather than discouragement as he lines up for a second three-week race this season. “It’s a motivation after pulling out of the Giro because it didn’t go well,” he explained. “Now I come into the Vuelta without having specifically prepared for it, without being a leading option. It’s the first year I’ve doubled up in a Grand Tour and the sensations are different.”

Having raced little in the lead-up, Ayuso acknowledges his form is an open question. He does not see himself under pressure to chase the general classification and is prepared to switch into a supporting role for Almeida if required. “The preparation has been a bit strange, I haven’t raced much, so we’ll see how I am,” he said. “If I can be an option for the team at the Vuelta, perfect. If not, I’ll dedicate myself to helping João Almeida. If I’m not riding for the GC, I’ll try to support him.”

Assessing the route, Ayuso highlighted the final block of stages as the decisive battleground. The opening week, he suggested, should be relatively straightforward, but the mountains of Asturias and the closing weekend will shape the overall. “The first week is the easiest,” he said. “The last week will be decisive with the Asturian stages to La Farrapona and the Angliru, and then the finale at Bola del Mundo.”

Those summit finishes, coming off the back of a long season for many contenders, are likely to be where Vingegaard’s status as race favourite will be put to the test – and where UAE’s leadership dynamic will become clearer.

Ayuso’s unexpected Vuelta has already forced him to alter his late-season calendar. Initially planning to target the time trial at the World Championships in Rwanda, he now admits his participation will depend on how much he expends across three weeks in Spain.

“I’ve changed my plan. I had wanted to do the time trial, but right now I think the best thing is not to. Everything will depend on how I come out of the Vuelta. If I ride the GC I’ll arrive tired, if not I’ll be fresher and the time trial could be an option.”

Despite being drafted in as a late inclusion, Ayuso knows he will attract attention as Spain’s leading home rider. Rather than see the expectation as a burden, he frames it as a positive. “I know the fans expect things of me, but I take it positively,” he said. “When I race I feel their support and that’s a joy. I enjoyed my first two Vueltas, let’s see if I can continue like that.”

Whether Ayuso emerges as a GC threat or as Almeida’s right-hand man, his Vuelta will provide a revealing test of how far he can stretch himself across a demanding season. His climbing ability ensures he will be closely watched in the decisive mountain stages, but much will depend on how well he has recovered since May and how long he can hang with the very best.

For now, Ayuso is content to put the spotlight elsewhere. Vingegaard, he insists, is the man to beat – and UAE’s task is to make life as difficult as possible for the two-time Tour de France winner.