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PAL, Andorra (Velo) — Jay Vine already kissed the babies (his this time) and headed to the winner’s podium, and everyone was still waiting for Juan Ayuso to finish stage 6 at the Vuelta a España.
UAE Emirates-XRG won Thursday’s first big mountain stage of this Vuelta with Vine, but it lost a key GC strategic player when Spanish hope Ayuso flamed out after losing contact on the 10km climb.
Just a day after UAE won the team time trial, Ayuso plummeted from second overall and leading the young rider’s white jersey to 43rd at 10:14 back.
Before the headline writers get it all wrong, Ayuso insisted he never came to this Vuelta expecting to fight for the red jersey.
“The team asked me to test myself, I wasn’t feeling well, and I eased off,” Ayuso said at the line. “The sensations have been a bit like they’ve been throughout the whole Vuelta.
“I’ve been saying it since day one, even before the start, that my plan wasn’t to go for the GC. The team asked me to try, to see if things would improve, and out of respect I did. But today, since I still wasn’t feeling good, I let myself drift back.”
Ayuso: ‘I knew how I was’
Ayuso said he was never expecting to race for GC. (Photo: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
It’s a stunning reversal for Ayuso, who finished third in his grand tour debut at the 2022 Vuelta a España.
Sport manager Joxean Matxín Fernández gave Ayuso an emotional hug at the line as journalists leaned in for his reaction.
By his own admission, Ayuso came into this Vuelta a bit undercooked, but that didn’t stop the Spanish media from hyping up his chances.
“I didn’t feel the weight of the GC — that was on you guys,” Ayuso told a horde of Spanish media waiting at the finish. “I knew how I was and what I came here for.”
Ayuso took what should be a bitter blow in stride. He insisted that blowing up and then abandoning the Giro d’Italia in May was much worse for his morale.
“It’s normal to create expectations, and people hoped I’d ride for the GC, but for me it’s not like at the Giro, which was a hard blow.”
After losing time, Ayuso will have more freedom to chase a stage and continue his preparation for the Rwanda worlds, where he will be one of Spain’s top medal hopes.
Setbacks scramble UAE’s GC tactics
Ayuso started in second overall, but lost contact on the final climb. (Photo: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
The big climbing stage packs oversized impacts on UAE’s larger strategy for this Vuelta.
João Almeida rebounded after having to change bikes on the penultimate climb to lead the GC favorites across the line behind the day’s attacking riders from the winning breakaway.
The Portuguese rider settled into sixth overall behind some breakaway riders moving up on GC, but is only eight seconds behind Jonas Vingegaard among the top favorites. Marc Soler also slipped back on GC.
UAE perhaps already knew that Ayuso wasn’t up to the GC battle, so it sent Vine into the day’s break.
The Aussie delivered the team’s second straight stage win, and confirmed the team will rally around Almeida in a showdown with arch-rival Visma-Lease a Bike.
“Losing time is not what you want. We started the day with three guys in the top 5, but Joao is incredibly strong,” Vine said. “He’s shown all year he can win bike races just as much as the best of us.
“He’s in incredible shape and we’ll fight as much as possible for the red jersey and hopefully end up with it in Madrid.”
Now it’s up to the Portuguese rider – who was on a tear this spring before crashing out of the Tour de France — to try to carry team colors in this Vuelta.
UAE is still hoping to win its first grand tour since 2020 that wasn’t won by Tadej Pogačar.
After Ayuso’s capitulation on Thursday, all the team’s hopes lie with Almeida.