“I don’t know what he is thinking”.
Ayuso said it had been agreed that the news would be revealed at the end of the Vuelta, rather than midway through.
But his outright criticism of his team did not go down well with TNT Sports expert Adam Blythe.
“From what he has said, it’s in the team’s best interests and not his, but what he has done is not for his best interests. Ultimately, he has thrown his team under the bus and is forcing all the blame on them.
“The reason he is leaving is not a shock for them, they would have come to that agreement beforehand because something is not right. That doesn’t mean it’s the team that is not right or he is not right, it’s a collective, both are not happy.
“But for Juan to throw his team under the bus as much as possible there, for giving him the best team in the world, for giving him the opportunities that he has had, and giving him so much money for what is looked upon as potential, he has to be thankful for that – I don’t think what he has said is fair and right.
“I think him saying the team wanted to damage his reputation… You are a cyclist, your legs do the talking and you will be judged on results. For a team in the future, it doesn’t look great for him.”
Ayuso has been with UAE since 2021 and won his first Grand Tour stage at the Giro d’Italia earlier this year.
He was announced as the team’s co-leader for the Vuelta along with Joao Almeida.
“If there is a battle between him and the team, the team have looked to back him,” said Blythe.
“He’s doing his second Grand Tour of the year. He’s here doing the Vuelta and had the backing from the team with joint leadership, so wind your neck in a little bit.”
‘People always like to make a big deal of it’ – Almeida opens up on Ayuso exit
Video credit: TNT Sports
He bounced back the next day with his first stage win at the race, but on Sunday was 21 minutes back as he struggled to support teammate Almeida in his GC battle.
Ayuso said afterwards he was “quite tired” and “there’s no point in pushing for the sake of pushing”.
“He’s a very interesting character and very articulate, but one thing that is clear is that he isn’t a team player,” said TNT Sports expert Matt Stephens.
Ayuso delivers ‘classy’ victory on Stage 7 – ‘Undiluted determination’
Video credit: TNT Sports
“You could argue there needs to be synergy and understanding on when to release certain bits of information, but to accuse the team of undermining him when he’s still in the race isn’t good at all. The optics are really bad and it will impact the rest of the team.
“That language is incendiary and the statement is the beginning of the end for me.
“He’s a brilliant talent but he needs to get used to the fact that when you are being paid millions of euros, you have to be a team player.”
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