Juan Ayuso remains optimistic despite time loss to his biggest opponents: "I am quite satisfied with my time"

Juan Ayuso hoped to battle for victory in the only time trial of this Vuelta in Valladolid with riders like Remco Evenepoel, Primoz Roglic and Filippo Ganna. However, this turned out not to be possible: the leader of UAE Emirates clocked the seventh fastest time at the finish, 1:11 behind stage winner Ganna.

Afterwards, Ayuso looked back on his performance against the clock with Eurosport. "I saw Ganna at work in the time trial and knew then: no one is going to get there. It was a really long final straight. I am quite satisfied with my time. I also had a pretty good feeling."

Still, the 20-year-old Spaniard lost 55 seconds on Evenepoel, and also 35 seconds on Roglic, for example. "I am still satisfied with my performance, although of course you always hope for a slightly better time. I'm still competing for the final victory. The legs are just the way they are. It's not a disaster either."

The riders will have a few very tough mountain stages to choose from in the second and third week, Ayuso also knows. "There are still many mountain stages to follow and so a lot will change. I may have lost some time on the favourites, but this is a good result in itself."