Juan Ayuso not expecting miracles on return to action at the Tour de Romandie: "Let's see how it plays out day by day"

On his return to action for the first time since the 2022 Vuelta a Espana, UAE Team Emirates's Juan Ayuso admits he is not entering the Tour de Romandie with any big expectations.

"The discomfort is still there, but the doctors have said there is no risk in trying," the 20-year-old Spaniard tells Marca. “They told me I can push a little more. I start calmly and want to test how it goes in the race. Let's see how it plays out day by day and how everything develops. We want to analyze it calmly.”

After finishing on the podium of the Vuelta a Espana as a 19-year-old in his first-ever Grand Tour, 2023 looked set to be a massive year for Ayuso. Since the highs of the Vuelta however, the Spaniard has suffered persistent troubles related to Tendonitis, delaying the start of his season until now.

“It took a long time to get a clear diagnosis and I still find it a bit confusing at times. Now it would be a nerve. But before we came to that conclusion, we did all possible tests. No matter what test we did, it always seemed fine," Ayuso explains. "That is mentally tough. They tell you everything is fine, but I couldn't go cycling because of the pain.”