UAE Team Emirates reveal Vuelta plans: "Tadej Pogacar will not make the Vuelta, Juan Ayuso will be our leader"
CyclingSaturday, 14 January 2023 at 14:03
According to UAE Team Emirates staff member Joxean Fernández Matxin, Juan Ayuso will once again lead the team at the Vuelta a Espana after riding to a brilliant third-placed finish in 2022.
After the official course of the 2023 Vuelta was announced this past Tuesday, Matxin revealed any potential doubt over whether or not Ayuso could back up the success he achieved last year was immediately alleviated. "This route may suit Juan Ayuso," Matxin pondered. "It's a very mountainous course, the sprinters will be unhappy. It's clear that it will be a race for climbers, with a typical La Vuelta format, that is to say short mountain stages."
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Despite his tender age, Ayuso has already proven he is more than capable of being able to hang with the big names as the road steepens and the air thins. "It's a good course for Juan Ayuso, who I hope will be an important element, both for us and for the race itself," Matxin says. "If we saw him fight for the general at 19, it is clear that we expect him to improve further, of course physically but also in terms of experience."
With Ayuso leading the UAE Team Emirates charge for the Red Jersey, Tadej Pogacar is set to return to France in an attempt to recapture the Maillot Jaune, as Matxin reveals. "Tadej will focus on the Tour de France, and we will come to the Vuelta with Juan Ayuso as the leader."
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- Nothing much is up for grabs if you don’t even fight for the win - which is how Del Toro rode today regarding Yates taking victory from him.AndrewK31-05-2025
- Felix Serna says it exactly right about Del Toro. How could anyone just voluntarily give up victory in that manner? Carapaz obviously was trying to fight for the win, but I think clearly he ended up disgusted by the way Del Toro was riding - not even willing to ride hard on the descent to fight for the win - and thus in the end Carapaz just felt what can I do with someone riding like this.AndrewK31-05-2025
- Del Toro made no meaningful effort to defend the jersey from Yates on the road taking it from him. Amazing lack of fight.AndrewK31-05-2025
- Pog at the giro was great to watch for a time - I found his greed in winning stages a turnoff, rather than put time into rivals without needing to chase down riders and deprive them. But that’s racingCrashjames31-05-2025
- With a whole team only a mic and earpiece away.Mistermaumau31-05-2025
- Really weird that neither one nor the other latched onto Yates but there you go.Mistermaumau31-05-2025
- Like a watered down version of THAT TdFMistermaumau31-05-2025
- No, the root problem is UAE management, no better than Visma really.Mistermaumau31-05-2025
- Really good ending to the race. Am sure Adam will still celebrate, in secret. Probably a good thing long-term for Del Toro, he’ll realise things aren’t always as easy as they can seem.Mistermaumau31-05-2025
- This is on both Carapaz and Del Torro and their respective teams they both threw away everything to make sure neither of them could win… blind stupid tactics. Chapeau Simon Yates, cracking ride deserves the winslappers6631-05-2025
I think still young.. last year's he was consistent but more a follow wheels and also was a covid or two situations if I recall...
Definitely has the potential...
As we watch a historically talented generation of riders take over the peloton, Ayuso has the chance to announce his presence at their level. We'll see who else shows up, but with Pogacar definitely out and Vingegaard not likely, the big questions are Roglic and Evenpoel. With 4 victories between them and no TDF for either this year, one or both will surely be there. They would be the favorites, but Ayuso look ferocious to me.