☺️ Juan Ayuso ha protagonizado la imagen más amable de la jornada en la Itzulia 🐕 El ciclista español ha recogido el maillot de mejor joven con compañía #EsenciaCiclista #JuanAyuso #UAETeamEmirates #Itzulia
Juan Ayuso is not afraid of Mathieu van der Poel ahead of Amstel Gold Race: "I'm taking the form from the Basque Country with me"
CyclingWednesday, 10 April 2024 at 11:30
Next Sunday, the cycling world's attention turns to the Amstel Gold Race, one of the most exciting classics on the calendar. Although Team UAE Emirates faces the absence of defending champion Tadej Pogacar, its lineup remains formidable, with a number of potential leaders ready to race against man-of-the-moment Mathieu van der Poel including Juan Ayuso.
With Juan Ayuso, Marc Hirschi, Brandon McNulty, João Almeida and Finn Fisher-Black - who has been thriving on hilly races recently - the team has plenty cards to try and open up the race early and try to overpower Mathieu van der Poel and Alpecin-Deceuninck with numbers. An ambitious goal but one that is possible, although the Dutch classic is the one that suits the World Champion the best out of the Ardennes tryptic. Ayuso comes off the back of a second place at Tirreno-Adriatico and a win at Itzulia Basque Country, perhaps in the form of his life currently as he aims for the Ardennes.
Speaking to the media, Ayuso expressed his optimism and determination to play an important role in the Amstel Gold Race. "I feel good. I'm taking the form from the Basque Country with me," he said. "I hope to be there at the end on Sunday. We'll play our cards. It's the first time I'll take part in these races in good shape and I'm especially motivated."
In addition to Ayuso, Team UAE Emirates has three other top riders who could pose a significant threat in the race: Marc Hirschi, João Almeida and Brandon McNulty. Hirschi, ninth in the 2022 edition, has experience in the Amstel Gold Race and is eager to excel once again. Almeida and McNulty, equally talented, add depth and versatility to the team as well as options to attack the race from earlier on.
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- It will be just a waste of time to finish out of the podium. Giro Vuelta makes a better choiceabstractengineer19-11-2024
- I would agree, top 3 with Remco improving and snapping at his heels. I just wish he wouldn't keep crashing in the TDF.Pedalmasher19-11-2024
- Backstedt and Schreiber are not juniors they are under 23. There were I think about 7 or 8 juniors in this race. Under the current rules a race that has juniors in can't go over 45 minutes. The winning time was 43.53 so the timing was correct. The organisers are in the wrong because they should be putting on a juniors race and then we wouldn't be in this situation as the timings for the elite race would be 50 minutes, not 45.NorrisHippocampe19-11-2024
- It's everywhere. Just like it was before. But we can just pretend it isn't. Just like we did before.Sweep19-11-2024
- Not a top 4 GT rider? He's got more GT wins (just not at the Tour) than any viable active rider (Froome not included). Were it not for his team messing it up for him, he'd have won the Vuelta even more often. He's a bizarrely accident prone, deeply conservative rider, but it delivers. He's also one of the best 1-week GC riders in the peloton. The man may not be Pogacar or Vingegaard (who is?), but he is definitely in the top 3 of the field, right now.RidesHills19-11-2024
- Nobody is saying that he is tin he Top 4 GT riders but nobdy is also saying he is capable of winning the TDF in the presence of Pog and Jonas. He was already fairly blown away before his crash and if we assume that Bora hired him to win the TDF, then it would not be considered a success. That he won the Vuelta only make it not a total fail.abstractengineer19-11-2024
- "The viewing and visitor figures are both better than when they were riding" - what a BS. Please compare (and only then) visitor figures during current season vs when WvA and MvdP are back in December (hopefully!) otherwise you are comparing oranges to apples.averagecyclist19-11-2024
- I counted 16 riders under 24 out of 43 that started. Once was only 16 ! Two of the top riders are Zoe and Schreiber and both under 23 yet that have done 50 min races in the past with the elites so I think it's just bad clock management. Let them race 50 freakin' minutes! One more lap could have made a big dffierence most times in the podium and winner.frieders319-11-2024
- He needs to finish out his contract and then go hit MTB and Cross/Gravel really hard, that's where his heart is.awp18-11-2024
- Pidcock is starting to sound like Froome now.Sweep18-11-2024