UAE Team Emirates has started off stage 13 with
Juan Ayuso testing positive for Covid-19 and now the Spaniard has abandoned the race. Like Pello Bilbao on the previous day, his compatriot has struggled in the early kilometers of the stage and ultimately pulled out of the race.
It was reported by AS this morning that Ayuso tested positive for Covid-19, which coincides with rumours that Covid is currently in a few riders in the peloton, although officially only Michael Morkov had abandoned the race because of it.
The start of the stage proved incredibly fast with a large breakaway causing a few teams including Team Visma | Lease a Bike to go all-out in the chase, to prevent Adam Yates from going up the road, and Ayuso was the rider struggling the most in the back of the peloton.
He was dropped with around 140 kilometers to go on the stage and without support it looked to be a hellish day for the Tour debutant. He is now out of the race. He started the day ninth in the overall classification, after losing time on stage 11 after the team attacked.
leader for the Vuelta? next.. looks like he doesn't like to work for the team...
Not sure this makes much difference to Pogi as Ayuso hadn’t been much use so far. Possibly he could have been a sacrificial lamb in the break. But not clear he had the legs for that. As said earlier they would have been better with Maika or else another rouleur
I said it often, I'll say it in closing: UAE should have sent Rafal Majka instead of Ayuso.
I agree
At least he would have been a more loyal rider to Pogi than Juan Ayuso was or ever came to be
I suspect UAE is having some buyer's remorse with Ayuso. He doesn't have the goods to win one of the big races, and he refuses to help the team win the big races with another leader.
Spot on
Yes agree. Does his job, doesn't give off haughty airs. Doesn't have personal ambition. Gives all for leader
100%. Majka puts the “super” in super-domestique.
Why was he allowed to continue with covid. He could infect the other members of the team
One of UAEs famous 'light viral load' test results?