"We hope to have two cards to play" - Juan Ayuso puts Skjelmose on Auvergne frame; Buitrago anticipates big GC day

Stage 6 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes provides the climbers with their first summit finish of the race, an important day where there will be an accurate test of many Tour de France contenders' form. Juan Ayuso and Santiago Buitrago, two contenders for the win, have shared their insight ahead of the stage.

“It’s already been pretty hard over the last five days, but yeah, I mean, now the real fight for the overall starts and, well, I really hope we can be up there,” he told Cycling Pro Net before the start.

Ayuso also highlighted the position of his teammate Mattias Skjelmose, well placed on GC, a scenario he sees as advantageous for the team in the coming days, and not a sole leadership. “I think Skjelmose is feeling very good too. So we hope to have two cards to play, and that should benefit us.”

The Spaniard explained that the opening five stages have helped him regain race rhythm after a long spell without competition. “We’ve had five days so far. You know, a chance to get the legs going again after training camps and everything.”

Asked if he was relieved to leave behind stages marked by crash risk and head into climbers’ terrain, Ayuso acknowledged those days served as preparation for what comes next.

“Exactly as you say, I think these five days were good, you know, coming from a long, long period without racing to get back into it. So it was a good transition, if you put it that way.” At Paris-Nice, it was a crash whilst wearing the yellow jersey that derailed the rest of his spring.

However, the Spaniard stressed that the big unknown remains how he stacks up against his direct rivals. “I’m also curious to see my level. I’ve been training, which is one thing, but then you have to see where you are compared to your rivals.”

He therefore sees Friday’s stage as an important first benchmark. “I think today is the first day we can really see where we are.” However, stage 1 and the team time trial showed a good level from the Spaniard, who is now building up towards the Tour de France. He is not peaking too early, he guarantees.

Ayuso noted there is still time before his major goals and that his form can keep progressing. “There’s a lot of time until the Tour, so yes, I think I can still improve a lot from here. But it’ll be good to see where I am.”

As for how the stage might unfold, the Spaniard does not expect decisive gaps among the favourites and believes the following mountain days could prove more influential for the GC.

“I think it’s a tricky stage today compared to what we have tomorrow and the day after,” he said. He also predicted an open race from the first kilometers. “I think there’s going to be a very long fight for the breakaway, see what kind of move goes, and then which team really wants to try to control.”

Ayuso also pointed to the absence of finish-line time bonuses as a factor that could shape team tactics. “I don’t see there being a huge difference. So if you also take away the bonus seconds, then maybe fewer teams will want to control and will save more for tomorrow and the day after, where big gaps can be made.”

He wrapped up the interview with a smile and a nod to the previous stage’s finale. “I hope so. I mean, the last finish was incredible in the last second, so I hope I can do something like that today in the sprint, something like that. Just fast in the last moment and able to win.”

The Colombian acknowledged that recent weeks have been defined by recovery from the crash he suffered at the Giro d'Italia. “I’m coming off a crash at the Giro d’Italia, I had to stop, and I’ve been back training for two weeks,” he told Cycling Pro Net ahead of stage 6.

Despite that, Buitrago said his sensations in France have been positive and that his main goal is to keep banking race kilometers.

“Here in Auvergne I’ve felt very good, and I want to enjoy these next three days. Honestly, there’s no pressure. I’m trying to get back into competition, to find good sensations again, and let’s hope today is a good day.”

Stage six brings the race’s first summit finish, a setting likely to trigger the opening moves among the GC contenders. Asked whether this was the moment to try something or if it would be wiser to wait for later stages, Buitrago kept his powder dry.

“Well, tomorrow the Grand Colombier will be very hard, so let’s see how today goes,” he said before weighing up the stage. “Today is the first summit finish, I think some will try something and hopefully we’ll be there in the fight.”

While he avoided setting explicit targets for the day, the Colombian made it clear he expects to respond once the road starts to whittle down the favourites. The first summit finish is a useful gauge of his condition after several weeks focused on recovery.

The Bahrain Victorious rider was also asked about the stage’s importance for the GC men and whether it could be a day for the favourites to open gaps. In his view, the fatigue built over the opening days could be decisive.

“Well, it’s been five very wearing stages. I think as the first summit finish it’ll be a day for the GC guys,” he said.