“We have to make sure that the race is hard”: Juan Ayuso calls for aggressive Spain strategy at Worlds
CyclingSunday, 27 September 2026 at 03:00
Juan Ayuso believes Spain must take an active role in making the men's World Championships road race hard from an early stage if it wants to put its strongest rivals under pressure in Montréal.
The Spanish rider arrives at the World Championships after completing a specific preparation block in the United States followed by several days of training in Canada. Ayuso says he has recovered well from his recent crash and feels ready for what he expects to be a demanding race, with the decisive selection potentially beginning long before the final kilometers.
“I think I'm feeling pretty good, to be honest,” Ayuso said in comments published by the Spanish Cycling Federation. The 24-year-old has already spent considerable time in the Montréal area ahead of Sunday's race. “I've been here for quite a while now, so I've practically become a local here.”
Ayuso expects the Canadian course to produce a difficult race despite believing it may be slightly less demanding than last year's World Championship route in Rwanda. For him, however, the overall difficulty will come from the repeated efforts and the amount of racing that takes place once the peloton reaches the Montréal circuit. “I think it will be hard anyway,” he said.
Spain wants an early selection
Ayuso expects the race to become aggressive as soon as the riders enter the circuit and believes the Spanish team should contribute to that process. “Maybe in terms of difficulty it was harder last year,” Ayuso said. “But I would have liked to have had a few more laps, like we had in the classic two weeks ago.”
Even without those additional laps, he expects the race to become selective early. “The race will start as soon as we enter the circuit and it will be made hard from very far out,” he said.
Asked whether he expected the leading contenders to be present in the medal fight, Ayuso replied: “I think they will be. We have to make sure that the race is hard and that through fatigue they can't survive,” Ayuso said.
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Mas gives Spain another option
Enric Mas could be particularly important to that strategy after arriving in Montréal as the winner of the Vuelta a España. Ayuso believes the Movistar rider should be carrying strong form into the World Championships and sees the presence of multiple Spanish riders deep into the race as an advantage. “Having those numbers at the end of the race, the more the better,” Ayuso said.
The Spanish leader also rejected the idea that the team's hopes depend exclusively on Mas. He believes the wider selection has arrived in Canada in good condition, giving Spain several potential cards if the race breaks apart.
“Not only Enric, but I think the whole selection is arriving in pretty good shape,” Ayuso said. “I think we are one of the strongest selections overall.”
That strength could allow Spain to avoid committing itself to controlling the race throughout the entire course. Instead, Ayuso wants the team to remain involved in the key moves while ensuring that it does not lose control of the race.
“We have to not take the weight of the race, but we have to make sure that at no point does the race get out of control for us, that it goes away without having anyone up front, and make it hard,” he concluded.
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- Making he race hard will also make the race hard for you Ayuso, it will also helps Sexias, Del Toroabstractengineer27-09-2026
- She did make an error in overconfidence over her current form. She was the strongest but not by much. If Kasia doesnt give her turns, all 4 would be togetherabstractengineer27-09-2026
- they cannot spare a rider for 3 days. thats just maliciousabstractengineer27-09-2026
- top race both great riders . hopefully nex time kasia can win the WC. Nice to see the pucksta in the top 10. All we need now is Wally in the mens.
Davide27-09-2026 - The top two girls thoroughly deserved their results .Davide27-09-2026
- The race was very attritional and showed that the riders who simply have more power reserves do better. Barry, Álvarez, Stiansen... Big power riders. Aubin Sparfel has incredible punch for his mere 59 kg, Niels Driesen is a great punchy climber, Matteo Scalco is rising as a hilly classics rider but that was not enough
Rafionain-Glas27-09-2026 - Crazy stuff. Also, Unibet are the evil ones.Rafionain-Glas27-09-2026
- Demi has had quite the season. She’s not only a great champion but also a great ambassador for women’s cycling. Chapeau!Pedalmasher26-09-2026
- Which made me think, for a few hours only they will both be reigning world champions.Hills3326-09-2026
- Besides Edgar David Cadena, the Mexican team is only really there for the first half, while Cadena should be able to last a bit longer but not much. Placing him in thr breakaway would be the best way for Mexico to use their only other climberRafionain-Glas26-09-2026
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