Juan Ayuso proved he is back to his best with overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico, adding his name to this year's list of true Giro d'Italia contenders and reminding everyone that UAE Team Emirates-XRG is not only about Tadej Pogačar.
The 22-year-old Spaniard appears to suffer in Pogačar's shadow but then blooms when he can target his own major goals. With Pogačar targeting the Classics this spring, Ayuso was able to train specifically for Tirreno-Adriatico and will also lead UAE at the Volta a Catalunya, before focusing on the Giro.
"This was a big goal from the beginning of the season, towards the Giro. It was the first big step I wanted to take," Ayuso said at Tirreno-Adriatico with satisfaction, rewarding himself with an extra day off in Italy with his girlfriend and family as a personal reward.
"I needed to prove myself, and I needed to show that I'm ready, and I think I've done it.
"This winter I've improved a lot. I didn't progress in 2023, I had set back after set back, then last year, having COVID-19 at the Tour. I had to go home, then I just never recovered. In cycling they say that you're as good as your last race, and my last races of last season were horrible."
Ayuso is in his fourth season at UAE Team Emirates but he is still only 22. He is prodigious talent for his age but still learning.
The cold and rain of Tirreno-Adiatico tempered his character.
"We're going to have some days like this at the Giro and so I have to get used to it," he said.
"Tirreno was an especially hard moment with the cold. After the day of 240km, I thought it couldn't go worse, and then the next day it was even colder and on the downhill. There were quite some delicate moments that I had to get through.
"I knew I had to stay concentrated and just wait for Saturday's mountain finish and then try to make a difference there. It worked out that way."
Working harder than ever
Ayuso claimed he has worked harder than ever this winter, adding gym work to his train schedule, improving his diet and hitting his race weight early in the year after a pre-season block of altitude training.
"This team gives us everything to perform but my point of view is that I work extremely hard too," he explained.
"I basically haven't been home for two and a half months. I weigh everything I eat, I train as hard as I can, even if it's raining. I do what I have to do. It's hard but in the end, it pays off. Cycling this thing that if you work hard, it gives back but it's extremely hard."
Ayuso believed less is more as he targets the Giro d'Italia for the first time in his career.
"I've always cracked at the Tour de Romandie in the past. So if I wanted to be well in the Giro, then my preparation had to be different," he explained.
"This year I'll do Catalunya, have about a week and a half at home, and then three weeks in Sierra Nevada, and then I go directly to the Giro."
"I think I can still keep on improving. If I manage to recover from these races, and the body takes it all in, then I should improve another step, and then with another altitude training camp, I can perhaps be even better."
Comparisons with Pogačar
Spanish newspaper AS described Ayuso as the Spanish Pogačar. He does not care for comparisons with Pogačar or the greats of the past. He is focused on his own career and his own success. That can seem egotistical but Ayuso is simply ambitious.
"I don't like comparisons, one, because they're all better riders than me and two because I'd like to be myself, win the races I need to win and lose the races I need to lose.
"Last year it was quite a different year because it was the first time the biggest goal of the season (the Tour de France) was not towards me, it was towards a teammate (Pogačar) and it's not something I'm used to doing. This year, my biggest goal is the Giro and so the pressure falls on me, and that is something I like.
"Tadej is the best rider in the world, so you have to race for him. So every every chance you get in this team, you have to really show and prove you're worth it. I'm glad that I could win here."
