Juan Ayuso discussion thread

[Berniece]

So there is nothing left for him in this season in a team like UAE.

Hopefully both parties understand this and he is able to leave.

 

[Red Rick]

I doubt it. UAE hold all the cards. All they have to lose by keeping Ayuso is rider on GT rider money who only races on GT a year.

UAE don't give a crap about money.

Nobody has leverage to get him out.

 

[Netserk]

How many riders under 25 do two GTs in a year?
Last year, Carlos Rodriguez and Tiberi and they were exhausted at the Vuelta.

It's not typical for other teams either.

Tiberi wasn't exhausted.

 

[Red Rick]

The issue isn't age, the issue is not being good enough to do 2 in a season.

I also am pretty convinced many riders decompress too much after the Giro and so they don't race enough before the Vuelta which makes the Vuelta performance be very high variance.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Tiberi wasn't exhausted.

He was definitely exhausted when he had a heat stroke

 

[scribers]

I don't even like Ayuso but what wrong did he do during the Giro? (except crashing and getting stung by a bee)

Even Bruyneel says sit in the gruppeto a couple of days to recover and help the team retain the overall GC win.

 

[noob]

Even Bruyneel says sit in the gruppeto a couple of days to recover and help the team retain the overall GC win.

Even Brunyel is sometimes wrong...

 

[pastronef]

It also shows a weakness in the calendar. There should be another one week WT hilly race in September or October.

Guangxi?

 

[houtdffan]

maybe the tour of Timbuktu is a good race for him

Last year at the TDF, he was even worse than SVA was in 2021. That is why he should never ride a high level race for the remainder of his contract

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

I don't like the Ayuso hate, not one bit. Sure, he doesn't give the "team player" vibes, but he doesn't deserve the level of vitriol he gets from online bullies like mou.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

I think so far Ayuso is 0/1 for teamwork because he rode one mountain stage for Pogačar where he was sandbagging (and he was not there on Stage 2 last year I guess). This Giro he was just the clear leader and they didn‘t want to give up on him, I don‘t think he did anything wrong. People talk like he‘s abandoned his team 100 times.

 

[yaco]

Guangxi?

In Europe. And Guangxi is at the end of the season.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Obvious that he needs to leave, but does UAE want that? I doubt it, but I really hope to see him on Movistar. Already at this point saying that he can't ride the two biggest races left on the calender for a rider like him must be tough. There's literally nothing left outside of the smaller Italians classics, Pologne (lol), I guess Burgos, Canada and then obiovusly Worlds which UAE can't tell him not to take part in, lol.

 

[scribers]

Even Brunyel is sometimes wrong...

Rarely. His take on it is enough considering he’s championed the Ayuso excuse making in the past. Even he knows the inevitable is for Ayuso to lead a team that can fit him exclusively into situations that suit his mentality.

 

[Cycling111]

Rarely. His take on it is enough considering he’s championed the Ayuso excuse making in the past. Even he knows the inevitable is for Ayuso to lead a team that can fit him exclusively into situations that suit his mentality.

That team would be INEOS or Movistar.

I've read some comments on X suggesting LIDL, but I don't think I'd fit in at all.

At LIDL, everyone works for everyone. We've seen Ciccone work for Pedersen. Ayuso would never do that, he wouldn't even throw Molano around like Pogacar did at last year's Giro.

Ayuso needs a team dedicated to him but one that doesn't demand any work in return, and that's the complete opposite of LIDL.

Astana is a team of free spirits. Someone like Almeida would fit in there, not Ayuso.

INEOS has changed its racing style because they don't have a solid leader. We'll see Carlos Rodriguez at TDF, but Bernal and Arensman aren't solid leaders today, which is why they're riding the generals differently. But INEOS is a team that feels more comfortable with riding for a leader.

Movistar would be the other team. They're already riding like this for Enric Mas, who only performs in the Vuelta.

 

[Mako]

Isn't EF claiming they like to work with the difficult characters? Maybe that's the place for him. Wonder why they are never mentioned as possible destination.

Still it feels like the obvious one would be Movistar. I don't get the INEOS vibe from him.

 

[scribers]

I’m not sure Ayuso is leadership material either. He just wants to be protected at all times. Even if protection equals abandonment with another race ahead.

 

[noob]

Rarely. His take on it is enough considering he’s championed the Ayuso excuse making in the past. Even he knows the inevitable is for Ayuso to lead a team that can fit him exclusively into situations that suit his mentality.

Riding with one eye is dangerous for everyone whether you're in the grupetto or not. Also he complained 2022 that Roglic left tdf. But Roglic was severely injured. So no he's not always right. When it comes to judging injury he's outdated.

 

[noob]

Astana is a team of free spirits. Someone like Almeida would fit in there, not Ayuso.

Agreed

 

[Red Rick]

Riding with one eye is dangerous for everyone whether you're in the grupetto or not. Also he complained 2022 that Roglic left tdf. But Roglic was severely injured. So no he's not always right. When it comes to judging injury he's outdated.

Bruyneel is talking out of his ass like 95% of the time

 

[Unchained]

I’m not sure Ayuso is leadership material either. He just wants to be protected at all times. Even if protection equals abandonment with another race ahead.

It's weird all the fill in the blanks feelings people have with conversations, data mostly done by one. UAE signed Ayuso to contract extension until 2028..sure he is getting paid well, including typical bonus structure. Those are established facts.
.UAE with in complicated support structure designated Juan Ayuso as established leader for Giro. Ayuso through training and testing was selected for lead role over other UAE riders , there was an unfortunate crash and Ayuso after tentative efforts and unbelievable battle of the bees, abandoned.
He had time deficit, physical limitations and allergic reaction to insect attack. Nobody at UAE said anything about displeasure with Ayuso. The opposite, management and teammates said support, before, during and after epic events of the disastrous Italian outing. Ayuso has not said he is shopping, doesn't feel supported or not hopeful at UAE.
And a very strange phenomenon is privacy. If Ayuso's injuries are more extensive than has been reported in public. Juan would be doing his young career a drastic disservice by reporting to all that he has salvage title. UAE would also be making a double intelligent choice by shielding Ayuso's personal and medical privacy. If indeed Ayuso goes into the transfer market his value would be less to UAE and himself by airing gruesome details of medical conditions. If he is on the mend, smart play is to turn volume knob to off, say publicly to expect nothing of Ayuso and then open the door for miraculous recovery and return later in the season.

Both Ayuso and UAE have nothing to gain by rushing him back if he is seriously banged up. After what UAE has dealt with from Giro, public relations is a high priority for sure. Riders and team subjected to the equivalent of public torture.