Ayuso anticipates role as leader in 2025 at UAE Team Emirates: "Basically that race is the goal"

It was an unusual year for Juan Ayuso. The 22-year-old Spaniard won the Tour of the Basque Country and was the best in several other races but was unsuccessful in making his mark in the autumn. Therefore, it is time to turn the page for the UAE Team Emirates youngster, who will have other goals in his program in 2025. In the process, he will race less alongside Tadej Pogacar.

Marca disclosed the necessary details about Ayuso's goals in 2025. An illness already prevented him from completing the World Championship as expected, and the cold still played tricks on him, forcing the Spaniard to skip Lombardy. Thus, the year Ayuso struggled with health and form suddenly ended. In the Tour, he had to abandon because of a coronavirus infection at the top of the GC.

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Ayuso counts on participating in the Giro in 2025

So the Tour became a charade, and as long as Pogacar is the team's prominent leader, a leadership role is all but out of the question for Ayuso at UAE. As a result, the Spaniard is focusing on other goals, he told the Spanish newspaper. "It's possible to go on the Giro. I'm waiting for the routes to come out. You never know what will come out," he said diplomatically about the awaited route schedules of the grand tours.

"Maybe the Vuelta suits me better than the Giro, or vice versa. In 2025, I will do the Giro. That's the starting point now. But as for the routes, the plans can change today, so to speak. The most likely thing is that I'll do the Giro, but until I see everything, I don't want to decide," the young Spaniard elaborates on the fact that he is anticipating a leadership role.