Juan Ayuso is also forgiven for having déjà vu on the second one leisure day of the Vuelta a España. Closing 12 months, on his debut on the age of nineteen, the Spaniard headed into the overall week at 4:49 down on race chief Remco Evenepoel following a brutal climb of Sierra Nevada.
This time round, with six days to move he is again in fourth position, albeit this time handiest 2:37 off the crimson jersey, held via Sepp Kuss on the head of a Jumbo-Visma triumvirate.
Ayuso heads up a three-pronged assault of his personal at UAE Group Emirates, with teammates Marc Soler (6th at 3:10) and João Almeida (tenth at 8:39) additionally mendacity within the most sensible 10 on GC.
The duo of trios face a harder ultimate week compared to 2022 – the Alto de L’Angliru and Puerto de los angeles Cruz de Linares are the hardest of 4 upcoming mountainous days – with Ayuso seeing the disturbingly steep Angliru (the place the numbers of 12.4km and 9.8% by some means undersell the demanding situations of the climb) because the position to take the struggle to Jumbo-Visma.
“Having 3 guys like they did on Tourmalet isn’t such a lot of an impact as a result of being at the wheel is not a bonus,” Ayuso mentioned in Monday’s leisure day press convention, relating to the Dutch squad’s domination of degree 13.
“I feel for us the most efficient degree is Angliru. I feel day after today, the Puerto de los angeles Cruz de Linares is even more difficult than Angliru. However there once more now we have climbs which, in case you are within the wheel, it does lend a hand.
“I feel the largest day the place everybody goes to check out and tackle Jumbo is Angliru on account of this. We simply have to pray that on that day, they do not have the legs and that we will drop them.”
Within the quest to topple the Jumbo-Visma podium sitters, Ayuso and his UAE Group Emirates teammates are not susceptible to straight away search partnerships with different groups, on the other hand.
“At the facet of Almeida and Soler, in fact, you should have them,” he mentioned. “However on the finish of the day, the opposite groups like Bahrain Victorious and Bora-Hansgrohe are nonetheless opponents.
“In fact, if there is a state of affairs the place we will paintings in combination to position Jumbo-Visma beneath drive then we can. Perhaps we will race in combination however as I say, on the finish of the day they are additionally opponents.”
‘Till we arrive in Madrid, anything else can occur’
Ayuso completed closing 12 months’s Vuelta in 3rd general, 4:57 down on Evenepoel and at the back of Movistar’s Enric Mas, who sits 29 seconds at the back of him heading into degree 16.
He lies at a minute at the back of three-time race winner Primož Roglič in 2nd and 53 seconds down on Excursion de France champion Jonas Vingegaard – the 2 males with 5 Grand Excursions to their identify whilst the rest of the highest 10 have 0.
With the state of the GC standings – and Jumbo-Visma’s staggering dominance – in thoughts, it is no marvel, then, that Ayuso sees the ‘killer bees’, slightly than the Cantabrian and Asturian peaks, as the principle impediment right through the Vuelta’s ultimate week.
“Their 3 riders were forged prior to now and have not had any vulnerable days,” he mentioned. “And it is not handiest the 3 riders at the podium but in addition the crew at the back of them, the entire teammates they have got. They are the most powerful crew and on an overly prime degree, so for them, it is simple to keep an eye on the race and put out the rhythm they would like.
“They are on a super degree so it makes an assault from a long way actually, actually exhausting to do. However till we arrive in Madrid, anything else can occur. So, we need to stay the sure vibes going and stay on making an attempt.
“This 12 months the 3rd week isn’t like closing 12 months,” he added. “We’ve the toughest levels bobbing up now while closing 12 months the toughest levels have been on the finish of the second one week.
“I am keeping up my degree somewhat neatly. I’ll the 3rd week no longer with freshness however in a position to take at the toughest levels so I am going in with some self assurance.”
Ayuso, whose upward thrust within the game has observed him sweep in the course of the Spanish degree racing scene as a junior and win the U23 Giro d’Italia on the age of 18, has made some other step since closing September, he mentioned, evaluating his GC position to the place he lay right through closing 12 months’s 2nd leisure day.
“General, sure I’ve progressed, and I feel that is what makes the adaptation. Closing 12 months I used to be getting into the second one leisure day in fourth on GC, however I used to be 5 mins clear of the chief’s jersey. This 12 months it is two mins and a large a part of it’s on account of a large breakaway [Kuss gained almost three minutes in a break on stage 6 – Ed.].
“To 2nd and 3rd – I feel I am not up to one minute, no? That displays I have progressed so much and I am proud of that.”
Ayuso, who turns 21 at the penultimate day of the Vuelta, ascended to the white jersey as easiest younger rider at the momentous Tourmalet degree which noticed Evenepoel and Almeida drop 90km from the road.
He wore it closing 12 months, too, in fact, although handiest as fellow under-25 rider Evenepoel used to be already in crimson. Now, he seems safe at 2:53 up on Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bora-Hansgrohe) within the classification. Alternatively, his ultimate week is geared extra in opposition to a degree victory and a spot at the ultimate podium in Madrid.
“This 12 months I do really feel just like the white jersey is particular as a result of as you are saying it is the first time it is in truth mine,” Ayuso mentioned. “Closing 12 months I wore it nearly all Vuelta, however it wasn’t in truth mine – it used to be all Remco.
“So, this time is the primary time in a Grand Excursion that it’s mine. Evidently it is particular, however I feel that the ambitions and targets are for the rostrum and a degree win slightly than the white jersey. However, as I say, it’s nonetheless particular as a result of it is the first time it is mine.”
