Should Ayuso consider a future without UAE Team Emirates? "He wants to be the star of his team"

In grand tours, Tadej Pogacar is the overwhelming favorite wherever he lines up. But alongside the Slovenian world champion, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard also stand head and shoulders above the competition, as they demonstrated in last year’s Tour de France. Several riders are trying to bridge the gap, and one of them is Juan Ayuso. However, former sprinter Robbie McEwen believes the young Spaniard should carefully consider his future.

The Australian ex-sprinter sees the ‘big three’ continuing their dominance in stage racing for years to come. "Pogacar, Evenepoel, and Vingegaard will remain at the top of the sport for quite some time, but there are also other riders who can develop," he told Eurosport, as quoted by Marca. "Riders like Pogacar, Evenepoel, and even someone like Peter Sagan are exceptional talents who burst onto the scene and immediately win the biggest races. This kind of rapid progress is not normal; it doesn’t happen every year."

It is crucial for the next tier of riders to step up and close the gap. Ayuso is one such rider, having been on the verge of breaking into that elite level since his sensational Vuelta a España performance in 2022. "He has shown that he is a strong cyclist, but sometimes I question his temperament," McEwen said. Last year, the 22-year-old Spaniard attracted negative attention with his behavior during the Tour de France.

Read more below the photo!

"I haven't seen the next superstar yet"

The competition within UAE Team Emirates - XRG is fierce, especially with the unstoppable Pogacar as the team's undisputed leader. This raises the question of whether Ayuso should look elsewhere. "He wants to be the star of his team, but maybe he's not in the right team for that. There are several talented young riders, but I haven't seen the next superstar who will stand shoulder to shoulder with Pogacar, Evenepoel, and Vingegaard."

One rider who performs well but has fewer superstar ambitions is João Almeida. McEwen is a big fan of the Portuguese rider and predicts a strong season ahead. "I think Almeida can finish on the podium in both the Tour and the Vuelta. He has shown us a lot over the past few years and continues to deliver solid performances. He is a very consistent rider."

Read also

Pogacar is unfazed by UAE Teammates’ attack on Vingegaard: "I get the questions"

Pidcock noticed Van der Poel thinking during the Tour de France: "I could just see from his body language that he felt the same as I did"

Thomas criticizes Red Bull, Roglic and basically half the cycling world: "Is this how it's going to be from now on?"

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get every week the latest news about CYCLING in your inbox!

Subscribe