"We also want to preserve him for the future" - Joxean Matxin insists Juan Ayuso's future is not in doubt despite Vuelta a Espana omission
Cycling
Juan Ayuso will not race the 2024 Vuelta a Espana. Since Joao Almeida raised his hand in the middle of the climb of the Tour de France everything seems to go wrong for the Valencian in a UAE Team Emirates in which the only figure who has publicly supported him since then has been Joxean Matxin.
After Almeida's gesture it was Adam Yates who criticized him and later Mario Cipollini leaked a private conversation with Mauro Gianetti, the CEO of the team, in which the latter assured that after the cyclist's withdrawal from the Tour de France he was now out of the Vuelta for sure.
All this time Matxín has been appearing in different Spanish media putting out fires and making it clear that the 21-year-old remains remains a key rider for the Emirati squad. Now that his absence from the Vuelta a Espana has been confirmed, Matxin has assured AS that it is a decision to take care of him for the future: "Juan is a Heritage for us and we didn't want to force by not being at 100%. We also want to preserve him for the future".
On his poor performance in the Olympic Games road race (he finished 22nd), his first performance after his COVID withdrawal from the Tour de France, he noted the following: "After a lot of work and preparation, Juan couldn't finish the Tour and show his level, and that in the end is unpleasant for any rider. He went to Paris with the national team because of the commitment he has, but seeing his performance it is clear that he was not fully recovered."
We will see what happens in the Canadian classics, which will be the next objective of a cyclist who, after making the podium in the Vuelta in 2022, has had two very complicated seasons: in 2023 because of injury and in 2024 because of everything that happened in the Tour, including abandonment and the team's refusal to allow him to participate in the Vuelta;
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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🇪🇸 Juan Ayuso #LaVuelta24 🗣️ "After the Tour I've put my mind on La Vuelta straight away. But in the weeks after the Tour I never reached my level. When we saw training didn't go well, we switched to the original plan: Olympics and the Canadian races in September." (AS)
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