Juan Ayuso: "Almeida's gesture was unnecessary, but it is what it is"

Juan Ayuso has reflected in the Spanish media on the gesture his teammate Joao Almeida made towards him on the Col du Galibier. "It wasn't necessary, but it is what it is," said the man from Javea to AS. Almeida visibly looked back to see where his teammate was on the French mountain pass, but Ayuso was at the back of the group.

Team leader Tadej Pogacar, who ultimately won the stage, also witnessed the incident. "I don't think they were having an argument or discussion. When you're racing flat out, you have to shout to communicate clearly with your teammates. Even if you want to say 'I love you,' haha! There are so many enthusiastic fans along the roadside that communication can be difficult at times," he reassured everyone during his post-race press conference as the yellow jersey holder.

"Normal conversations never happen on the bike anyway. So, sometimes it looks like someone is angry, but in my opinion, that wasn't the case. As a team, we simply delivered a strong performance, and I'm very happy about that," Pogacar stated.

Ayuso: "There are no issues within the team"

Ayuso gave his reaction before the start of the sixth stage. 'Within the team, everything is calm, there are no issues. It's true that those gestures weren't necessary, but it is what it is. The plan was to make life difficult for the competitors so that Tadej could attack, which he did to make the difference.'

"It was also a surprise for me that only five or six of us were left," said Ayuso. "The wind was directly against us, and for me, it was better to recover for a moment, but it gives confidence when I see how much damage we have caused," concludes the Spaniard from UAE Team Emirates, who would like to win another stage in this Tour de France.