"Not a single gesture of empathy. Not even a hug" - UAE under fire for cold reaction to Juan Ayuso's Giro d'Italia abandon

Stage 18 of the 2025 Giro d’Italia got off to a rough start for Juan Ayuso. The Spanish rider showed the press his swollen eye, the result of a wasp sting he suffered the day before. Despite having no vision in that eye, he decided to get on the bike and try to support UAE Team Emirates - XRG, which has just four stages left to defend Isaac del Toro’s pink jersey.

But no matter how hard he tried, it was clear from the very first kilometres that Ayuso was in bad shape. When the first climb of the day, the ascent to Parlasco, arrived, Ayuso called over the UAE Team Emirates - XRG car — things were clearly not going well.

Despite that, Juan attempted to push on, but just two kilometres later, after showing visible signs of weakness in his pedalling, he made the decision to abandon the Giro. It was what happened next that sparked controversy. As he stepped off the bike, there was no visible sign of consolation or empathy from the UAE team, which led to harsh criticism from former rider and current Eurosport commentator Juan Antonio Flecha.

Flecha didn’t hold back in his assessment of the Emirati team: “A rider steps off the bike just two days before the end of the race, while you're defending the lead, and there’s not a single gesture of empathy. Not even a hug,” Flecha remarked.

Even if some of Ayuso’s decisions during the race may not have pleased the UAE team, Flecha emphasized that it’s no excuse for how he was treated: “Ayuso may not have shown his best form, but the team director in the car seemed more concerned with other things — getting water or dealing with something else — when the priority should’ve been supporting a young and important rider who’s just dropped out. Juan had his problems and couldn’t overcome them — fine. But management also needs to be emotionally present for the rider, and in this case, they weren’t. It wasn’t a good look,” Flecha concluded.