💥 MATHIEU VAN DER POEL 🌈🇳🇱 consigue la VICTORIA en el @MadridCriterium 🥈 Juan Ayuso 🇪🇦 se anota el segundo puesto y 🥉 Carlos Verona es tercero en la clasificación final!! 🙌🏼 EVENTAZO EL MADRID CRITÉRIUM 2023!! 🎥 @Garzon__Jesus
Juan Ayuso: "Fighting the uncertainty of thinking that I might not get back on the bike was extremely difficult"
CyclingSaturday, 04 November 2023 at 11:00
Juan Ayuso has not had an easy 2023. After his breakthrough in the Vuelta a España 2022, it took him months to make his debut in the season that has just concluded. He gives his impressions of it in an interview from the folks at Relevo.
The UAE Team Emirates rider admits to continuing to experience pain from time to time, although he seems to have the injury under control after a difficult start to the season in which he even had thoughts of retirement.
PLAIN
"Obviously, it is still worrying because it is something that is the nerve, that you do not know when it is going to come, when it is not going to come and if it comes, if it is going to stay or if it is going to leave at the moment.... So, something that keeps bothering a little bit behind the ear. But, for now and after I went back to competing, I haven't had any moment where the pain was so that I had to stop again. I hope I can keep it up."
NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
"The problem with my injury was the mental aspect more than the injury itself. Because, let's see, the pain allowed me to continue living a normal life, apart from being able to ride a bike, which is not as serious as other misfortunes that have happened in cycling. But the problem was the uncertainty of saying that "maybe I can't get back on the bike because of this nonsense". A little foolishness, let's call it that. So, fighting that uncertainty was extremely difficult."
RETURN TO COMPETITION
"It was what I asked for, but also what I had already discussed with the team when I made the podium in La Vuelta in 2022. We already agreed that in 2023 I would ride La Vuelta again to try to improve, but that already in 2024 I was going to try in the Tour. Although I've had the injury, everything has gone a little bit on track and it's a little bit what we had closed for a long time."
2024
Eventually he recovered in time to race the Vuelta a Espana at the highest level, after succeeding at the Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse. He rode to fourth in Spain, the best of the rest outside of the Jumbo-Visma riders.
"I think I was at least able to turn the situation around. To finish the year similar to last year, which is the important thing and what I'm left with after everything that happened," he concludes. "Let's hope that next season I can have a year without any inconvenience, without any problems and that my results are what I can achieve. I only ask that my results are not altered by these misfortunes".
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Article written by Juan Larra.
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- Thanks Dadmobk22-12-2024
- Hard to believe with the advancment of modern medicine he can not find a cause for this.frieders321-12-2024
- You continue to platform these two cheats. With that in mind I can no longer use your site. I know my leaving means little, but, sometimes you have to take a stand. See ya!DJ21-12-2024
- Look at what Froome’s won since his last TdF, stop denying there is still more than possible one outcome to the future.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Bruyneel understands nothing about clean competition.Sweep21-12-2024
- Exactly. Remco won 3 WT races/stages last year compared to Pogocar's 19. Remco's single stage win in last years TdF earned him a meager 12 seconds over Pogocar who shellac'd him by 9 minutes in GC.Sweep21-12-2024
- Fortunately and as you point out, more than one strategy is possible and worth trying and I’m sure all concerned riders are well informed and counselled on this subject and don’t need such basic personal advice through media from an outsider.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- The main SPOTY award is "decided" by public vote but the BBC "expert panel" decide who you can choose from, that choice has an equal split of genders and is focussed on the sports BBC show and a disabled athlete. Oh yea the ubiquitous "Pub Games" candidate there too, Darts and Snooker are not sports. The other awards are decided by the "Expert Panel" again it's about the sports BBC show, cycling has had it. Cav got his for his years and achievements in the sport, not just that 35th TDF win. Unless the BBC get access to Pro Cycling it will never feature "adequately" on SPOTYslappers6621-12-2024
- Ahhh..... you have to understand the "strange" diversity concepts of the BBCslappers6621-12-2024
- Avoiding him is a good strategy, you get more wins and then you can compete in the TDF relatively relaxed. Pit yourself against Pogi and not only there will be no wins, it will be considerable mental setbackabstractengineer21-12-2024