Juan Ayuso on upcoming Tour de France: "Tadej is the leader, but I'm not going to give up any opportunity that the race proposes"

Juan Ayuso will make a radical change to his calendar in 2024, as he will put his main focus on the Tour de France instead of the Vuelta a España as he did in the last two seasons. He believes UAE Team Emirates will have to adjust their tactics to win the race.

In an interview with the AS newspaper, the talented UAE Team Emirates rider talked about what he is looking forward to next year, with the Tour and World Championships as the main focus.

CHANGE TOUR PER RETURN

"The Vuelta is the race I've been focusing on for the last two years. Since I was a kid, the Tour has always been in my head. I think this year was a good time to make the change, to try it. Last year, although the result of the Vuelta was a bit worse, I think I took a step forward. And in 2024 I think I'll take it again. When I started cycling around here (his team's training camp is 50 kilometers from his home), I always saw Contador, Purito (Joaquim Rodríguez, ed.), Valverde riding the Tour... Being there and being one of them is a great motivation and dream".

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TOUR DE FRANCE

"Just going out is going to be emotional. The race this year is going to be very hard: two time trials, sterrato... many things can happen. Obviously, Tadej is the leader and the number one of the team. We saw how Jumbo rode the Vuelta. And we have to play different tricks to take advantage of Tadej."

WINNING A STAGE ON THE TOUR?

"It would be the bomb. Tadej is the leader, but I'm not going to give up any opportunity that the race proposes. I'll go out to try to win a stage and, depending on how it goes, fight for my personal goals for the overall. Raising my arms there would be a huge thrill. I look with healthy envy at Carlos (Rodríguez, ed.), who I've always been with him, and this year he was able to do it".

CURRENT SPANISH CYCLING

"They have left us with a difficult role. We came from seeing legends: Contador, Valverde, Purito and all the others: Luis León and all the others... It's a difficult gap to fill. But with Carlos, with Arrieta, with me and several other youngsters, maybe we have a couple more years, but I see it as promising. We are one of the countries with the best future in the quarries".

SWITZERLAND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

"It's another thing I've talked about with [Pascal] Momparler and, without a doubt, it's another goal. This year, main objectives: Tour, Olympic Games and World Championships. And two of them are with the Spanish national team. I told Mompa that I was going to prepare very well for the World Championships, after the Tour I'll take a break and then a high altitude block, with the races in Canada."

Article written by Juan Larra