Juan Ayuso, on Vingegaard: "I hope he doesn't reach 100%, if it's hard for Tadej, imagine the rest..."

Juan Ayuso is, without a doubt, the cyclist that most excites the local fans before the Vuelta a España. The 20-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider, podium in his first Vuelta in 2022, arrives with a lot of ambition to the start in Barcelona.

In an interview with the Marca newspaper, he made it clear that he has the ambition and desire to do well and continue to surprise everyone despite the line-up of big names including Remco Evenepoel, Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard.

With a lot of desire, ambition and illusion to do well. The biggest dream has always been to win a Grand Tour. Seeing the participation, the truth is that it is very complicated. I have prepared very well for this race. The goal is to try to win a stage. Last year I was close, but it didn't happen, and now I'm very excited. The first thing I'm looking for is a stage and then try to be in the fight for the overall.

We haven't done the meeting yet, but it's clear that they are the team to beat. Probably, in the head-to-head they will be superior. But, playing the trick with Joao, we can put them in trouble.

He has raced more this year than me, I haven't done many races. The road will tell how we have to perform. We know that together we are stronger. Not only because of Jumbo, but also against riders like Remco and company, we have to go together to take advantage.

I am not affected by the pressure. I feel it as a motivation. People believe in me and that's why I look at it from that positive side.

It is always important. Even if there is a lot of mountain, but it always makes a difference that sometimes in the mountains is difficult to make. With that I am calm, because this year I have improved a lot with the 'goat'. It has technical parts, but others of pure strength. It can be a good time trial for me.

You can have a bad day and lose time on any day. Tourmalet, Angliru... are the ones with the most names. But, with the hardness that there is, if you have a bad day you can escape.

I hope he doesn't reach 100%, because if he doesn't, it was already seen in the Tour. If it's hard for Tadej, imagine the rest... But we have also prepared well and now it will be the race that will put us in our place.

I don't know if I can 'rebuild', but obviously there are options to do well, get a good result and leave satisfied. If I race against the best in the world, because if you put Tadej we are practically all, I think it's good because it will give me confidence for the future. I'm ready to face them.