UPDATE: Juan Ayuso remains out of UAE Team Emirates' Vuelta a Espana lineup despite pressure from race director Javier Guillen

Although Tadej Pogacar managed to successfully reclaim the Maillot Jaune at the 2024 Tour de France with a stunning performance, the three weeks in France weren't completely without incident for UAE Team Emirates, with Juan Ayuso seemingly at odds with his teammates at times during the race.

Abandoning the 2024 Tour de France on stage 13 due to Covid, Ayuso was expected to once again lead the charge for UAE Team Emirates at the Vuelta a Espana after finishes of 3rd and 4th overall in the last two editions of his home Grand Tour. It now seems however, Ayuso will be a notable absentee from this year's Vuelta a Espana.

After it was previously reported that Ayuso would be missing from UAE Team Emirates' Vuelta lineup, the respected Italian journalist Ciro Scognamiglio of La Gazzetta dello Sport, has now provided a further update on the situation surrounding the 21-year-old Spaniard. "Update about Juan Ayuso and La Vuelta a Espana," the journalist writes on his official X (Twitter) account. "In this moment, sources confirmed us that the Spanish rider is NOT in UAE Team Emirates' roster for the third grand tour 2024, but he is the first reserve. La Vuelta starts from Portugal on 17/8."

This news will come as a big disappointment to the race director of the Vuelta a Espana, Javier Guillen, who publicly pleaded with UAE Team Emirates to send Ayuso a few days ago. "As of today we don't have Ayuso's confirmation and I also think that there is a question to analyze and that is that the teams are made in advance. The riders have their preparations done and I don't think it's easy to remove a rider from a team to put another one. From there, as a Spanish race, I ask the team to bring us Ayuso. But I ask it with affection, I ask it cordially and I ask it understanding any circumstance. Of course, both the rider, the race and the country need Ayuso to be there," Guillen told AS.