Juan Ayuso discussion thread

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A picture is worth a thousand words etc.

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It seems to me Ayuso gets to lead a GT Pogacar isn't racing every year. Not sure if that's hard coded into their contracts, but if that's the case, I'd feel fine about staying.
Any drama with Del Toro isn't real drama, it's just minor tension and being injured. Again.
Clearly UAE aren't freezing him out of the team. And clearly UAE are still one of the best paying and best performing teams.
I don't see the problem with riding a Pogacar free schedule at all.
It's no guarantee that it will stay like this next season. Up until now Ayoso has been the crown prince, being 2nd in line and he got to lead the Pog free Giro. Last year he didnt get to lead a Pog free GT as he did in 2022 and 2023.

If Pogacar wants to go for Tour-Vuelta double next season, I dont see why it should be obvious that Ayoso once again will get leadership in the Giro. I think Almeida will have a stronger case, and maybe even Del Toro (depending on how this Giro ends). If he drops behind Almeida and Del Toro in the hierarchy, there might not be a good GT chance for him next season if Pog wants 2.

I could totally see a scenario for 2026 where Pog do Tour-Vuelta, Del Toro gets to do the Tour with Pog, Almeida gets Giro leadership and Ayoso at best becomes second leader in the Giro and "only" gets to lead a couple of one week races for the rest of the season. For the next Golden Boy that might not be enough.
 
It's no guarantee that it will stay like this next season. Up until now Ayoso has been the crown prince, being 2nd in line and he got to lead the Pog free Giro. Last year he didnt get to lead a Pog free GT as he did in 2022 and 2023.

If Pogacar wants to go for Tour-Vuelta double next season, I dont see why it should be obvious that Ayoso once again will get leadership in the Giro. I think Almeida will have a stronger case, and maybe even Del Toro (depending on how this Giro ends). If he drops behind Almeida and Del Toro in the hierarchy, there might not be a good GT chance for him next season if Pog wants 2.

I could totally see a scenario for 2026 where Pog do Tour-Vuelta, Del Toro gets to do the Tour with Pog, Almeida gets Giro leadership and Ayoso at best becomes second leader in the Giro and "only" gets to lead a couple of one week races for the rest of the season. For the next Golden Boy that might not be enough.

Ayuso is riding with an injury. The gravel stage did a lot of damage to UAE because it also created the false impression than Del Toro was their superior rider here in this Giro. He's not.

But since Ayuso has a bad knee his performance here is not reflective of his actual level. You could also easily extrapolate Almeida's poor performance in last year's Vuelta into something it wasn't because he was sick.

It's up to the teams to understand the how and why when a rider collapses like this and not just go with the various narratives that spawn online whereby people conflate a bad performance with a rider's actual level when there's other factors (like injuries or illness) here.
 
They should just send exactly the same team to next years Giro because it would be funny, this might be my favourite UAE iteration since Catalunya 2022, maybe include Almeida or of course Mythical Marc for added comedy.
Almeida, Ayuso and Del Toro as joint leaders. Soler, McNulty and Vine as domestiques + Ivo and Sebas. I would pay good money to watch this.
 
Stagnation or no stagnation, he has had impressively bad luck in his GTs. Covid in the 2022 Vuelta, completely messed up season hindering him in the 2023 Vuelta, Covid again in last year's Tour and now a knee injury. That's four from four GTs where he has been prevented from performing at 100%. If he was more likeable (and preferably not on UAE) it would have made him a Landa-esque popular underdog.
Not saying you're wrong but if you need everything to go your way to win a GT you're probably destined to win very few of them (or possibly nome). Not getting ill, managing pain, managing bad days, overcoming adversities are all part of the package.

I'm sympathetic toward Ayuso though, he's currently in a tough position being touted as the next big thing, podiuming his first ever GT as a teenager and then never performing at that level again. Must be a nightmare. A change of scenery could probably help him.
 
The main problem I see for Ayuso at UAE is that if he has one bad GT in a year, there isn't necessarily a second option for him. On most other teams, his Giro going belly up would be a shame, but at least he'd have another chance in the Tour or Vuelta. We already know Roglic will be at the Tour, for instance, and Landa probably at the Vuelta if he heals well enough.
 
It depends on him and his character now if he ruins his career or not. I expect donkey work from him today and the following stages. No stage wins, no trying to stay with the big guns, only helping del Toro. If he is not a loyal teammate he will not get another opportunity from Dracula. His options will be leaving the team or water carrier duties until his contract expires.
 
Not saying you're wrong but if you need everything to go your way to win a GT you're probably destined to win very few of them (or possibly nome). Not getting ill, managing pain, managing bad days, overcoming adversities are all part of the package.

I'm sympathetic toward Ayuso though, he's currently in a tough position being touted as the next big thing, podiuming his first ever GT as a teenager and then never performing at that level again. Must be a nightmare. A change of scenery could probably help him.
This! This is why it's so cynical to drum up such young people. They are so darn vulnerable.

I admit I've enjoyed the drama, I still do. But this hatred towards him has gone way too far by now and it's not like he's in good hans either 🤢