Juan Ayuso: "Roglic will be the man to beat, and in terms of the GC, he is the strongest rider at the start"

Juan Ayuso is only 22 years old but begins his fourth Grand Tour as a GC contender, and by this time he is already an experienced figure, and also a rider with the legs to take the overall victory. He points out Primoz Roglic as the obvious rival for the pink jersey, but will have plenty variables over the three weeks which can play in his or his rivals' favours.

"It’s been a great start to the year, with some special victories both for me personally and for the team. The goal is to keep that run and that spirit going for the Giro D’Italia," Ayuso said in a press conference ahead of the race, as reported by IDLProCycling. "I think we have the strongest team in the race, and I feel that is our biggest strength. We have strong rivals in the GC, with Roglic in particular, but we are ready for the challenge."

UAE can certainly take advantage of their lineup which also includes Adam Yates as a very dangerous GC rider, if he finds his best legs. Isaac del Toro, Jay Vine and Brandon McNulty don't start the race as GC contenders, but could potentially enter this list and certainly be used to create chaos in the opening week - and later on, likely, either help control the races or open opportunities for tactical attacks.

But Ayuso will always have to directly go head-to-head with the man that beat him fair and square at the Volta a Catalunya: "Roglic will be the man to beat, and in terms of the GC, he is the strongest rider at the start. They will have to control the race, but we will try to make it difficult for them. I think the Giro is a different story than the Tour of Catalonia. Here, you have more time trials and days where you can only lose, while in Catalonia, it's more a matter of racing every day. So it's different: harder and longer. You have to be careful and focused every day."

"I understand that people see me as the favorite, but I don't really feel that pressure," he admits. "I know I have a chance, and I will seize it with both hands because that's what you must do in cycling today. I've been on the podium before but don't know what it feels like to win a grand tour. I still have that milestone to achieve, and it would be a dream come true."

For this, he will already have to be safe in Albania, as the first three days are all opportunities for attacks to happen and differences to be created. "The first day will be crucial because it will be stressful, which means you can lose more than you can win. I hope we get through the day safely. I see the time trial as a good opportunity to gain time for the others. Day three will be tough, but the climb is still far from the finish, and I don't see it as an obvious opportunity."

"I don't know if my age matters. I probably would have said yes if you had asked me that question in the 2022 or 2023 Vuelta. Those were my first big races, and I didn't know exactly how I would feel during the last week. But now I'm already starting my fourth big race, so I don't know if that question is still relevant," the Spaniard assures. "If I were to drop out in the last week, I don't think age would necessarily play a role."