"People always expect me to go for the GC... Today I just let it go" – Juan Ayuso blows up on first summit finish of La Vuelta 2025

Juan Ayuso lost almost twelve minutes on the fifth stage of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana, effectively ending his hopes of contesting the general classification. The Spanish rider crossed the line with a smile, no drama, and after a warm greeting from Joxeán Matxín, he shared his thoughts with Spanish media.

“It’s been a bit like this all race – I’ve said it since day one, even before the start. My original plan wasn’t to go for the GC, but the team asked me to give it a go out of respect, so I tried," began Ayuso's explanation. "But I haven’t been feeling good, and I’ve just gone with the flow.”

As for his goals, it’s clear from his words that this race was never a real target for him. He was called up at the last minute, after Tadej Pogacar opted out. From the start of the season, his main aim for this part of the year has been the World Championships in Kigali – and, based on what we saw today, that remains the case: “My goal is to support the team and prepare for the Worlds as best I can.”

Asked whether today’s time loss felt like a blow, he was quick to clarify that it didn’t. He knew he wasn’t in top shape, and the situation couldn’t be compared to his disappointment at the Giro d’Italia: “I wasn’t carrying that weight – that was more on you [the media]. It’s normal to build expectations, but I already knew from the start what my condition was and why I was here. People always expect me to go for the GC, like I usually do, but this isn’t like the Giro, which was a tough pill to swallow. Today, I just let it go and I’m looking ahead.”

Naturally, Ayuso made it clear he’s ready to help João Almeida whenever possible and might even look to go for a stage win if the opportunity arises: “First, I’ll see how the team is doing. If João’s feeling good, that’ll be the priority – supporting the team. After that, I’ll try to go for a stage if I can.”

We’ll see what the coming days bring for Juan Ayuso at this year’s Vuelta. Whether he can support his teammates or chase a win himself remains to be seen. What is clear is that neither he nor UAE Team Emirates would benefit from him dropping off early in more mountain stages – although, given he's already lost twelve minutes in the GC, it wouldn’t be the end of the world either.

He abandoned on Stage 17 of the Giro and has only raced in San Sebastián and Getxo since then, with the World Championships in mind. It’s evident he hasn’t come into La Vuelta in peak condition.