Skjelmose backs Ayuso at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: "We believe in him... he hasn’t had time to prove himself yet"

Juan Ayuso’s arrival at Lidl-Trek raised high expectations for the 2026 season. However, physical issues and incidents have so far prevented the Spanish rider from fully showing his potential alongside Mattias Skjelmose, with whom he is tipped to form one of the strongest duos in the peloton.

After winning the Volta ao Algarve in February, his first race with the American team, Ayuso was forced to abandon both Paris–Nice and Itzulia Basque Country due to illness and a crash. The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (re-branded Critérium du Dauphiné) presents an opportunity to start showing what the Spanish–Danish pairing can do.

Asked on TV2 about his teammate’s condition, Mattias Skjelmose said he trusted him despite the lack of recent results: "It’s hard to say whether he’s ready or not. I think he is, otherwise he wouldn’t be racing. We believe in Ayuso, but he hasn’t had the time to show it yet."

The Dane also acknowledged that circumstances have made it hard for both riders to build a solid relationship in competition: "As you say, it’s difficult to forge a relationship in the racing world when you don’t race much together. It’s been one thing or another, but we get along well. We’ve also talked about this race being the perfect chance to prove we can work well together."

Although they have barely shared race days, Skjelmose highlighted the good rapport between them during training camps and sessions.

"You can’t be best friends with everyone," he said, before adding: "But we get along and often have dinner together for hours. He might not be my best man, but we can work well together, and that’s more than enough."

Doubts about their competitive coexistence surfaced when Ayuso’s move to Lidl-Trek was announced at the end of 2025. Skjelmose himself described the situation as "strange", although the Spaniard believes that controversy has long been settled.

The Spanish rider played down the comments that sparked debate at the time: "I don’t think it was just a surprise for him; it was probably a surprise for everyone and for me," he said with a laugh.

Ayuso felt that part of the controversy stemmed from an interpretation of the Dane’s remarks.

"He didn’t express himself clearly in the media, and that caused confusion, or whatever you want to call it. But between us… yes, we haven’t raced much together, but we’ve spent plenty of time at camps and training camps. So the relationship is good, and now people will see it in the race."

Skjelmose made it clear he is ready to collaborate with his teammate if the race situation requires it: "Yes, of course. I really hope he also gets his chance in this race. He’s not going to be looking after me, to be clear. And I’d be happy if we both get a good result."

The Dane also admitted they still lack shared race experience to know how they will react at the most demanding moments.

"We haven’t raced much together, but we’ve gone to many training camps and recons together. And we’ve done a lot together. In that sense, we’re pretty calm. But sure, we’re missing a bit of practice to know how we react under pressure, in the tough moments, and how we behave together. But that will come this week and during the Tour."