"You have to prepare 100%, it's different from everything else" - Alberto Contador's advice to Juan Ayuso ahead of his Tour de France debut in 2024

The 2023 season has confirmed that Juan Ayuso is one of the cyclists with the most potential in the peloton. The 21-year-old Spanish rider is one of the great hopes for the future for UAE Team Emirates in terms of Grand Tours.

This year, Ayuso has offered glimpses of what he can become. He came very close to winning the Tour of Switzerland, where he took two stage wins, as well as the youth jersey in the Vuelta a España, second place in the Spanish road cycling championships, and a stage in the Tour de Romandie.

In a 2024 Tour de France that looks set to be one of the most hotly contested in history with a line-up that should welcome Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic (at BORA - hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel, among others, Juan Ayuso aims to make his debut as one of UAE's secondary leaders. During the recent Madrid Criterium 2023, Spanish legend Alberto Contador, two-time winner of the Grande Boucle, advised the young Spanish rider about it.

"It is difficult to give him any advice. I think he knows that the most important thing is to prepare 100%. Then the road is what will show you how fit you are. The Tour de France is a different race to the Vuelta a España and the Giro d'Italia. A lot of things happen until you get to the mountains. However, I think he will manage it well. In terms of sporting results he's very mature, and in terms of his head he's even more so," Contador said.

Faced with these words, Juan Ayuso could only thank the man who, according to him, is one of his greatest idols: "I have to thank him very much. I remember that 10 years ago I was chasing him to see if I could get a photo. So to have him tell me something like that is a source of pride".