Juan Ayuso finally spoke up this Tuesday, and he didn’t hold back. The Spanish cyclist shared strong feelings about his departure from UAE Emirates. The team announced his exit on Monday. Ayuso felt the team used a public statement to hurt his name.
Ayuso said he disagreed with the team’s press release. He learned about it only half an hour before it went public at 7 PM. Journalists, with whom he has good ties, already knew by lunchtime. The rider mentioned that they had agreed to hold off the news until after the Vuelta. This was to keep it from affecting team performance. He believes the team should explain why they broke this agreement.
The tension seems to connect with teammate João Almeida. During Stage 9 of the Vuelta, Almeida complained about not getting help from others. This happened during a key part of the race. Ayuso had decided not to push hard on the last climb. He was no longer fighting for the overall standings.
Ayuso believes the team used Almeida’s comments to hurt him. “They talk about values and unity,” Ayuso said on radio Cope. “But they took advantage of some unlucky words from Almeida to attack me.” He also said he spoke with Almeida, who apologized. Ayuso shared that his relationship with his teammates, including Almeida, remains good. He expressed a desire to leave the team on good terms. Yet, he felt that wasn’t possible. He described the situation as “more like a dictatorship.” He felt like the team had “unilateral power over you.” Ayuso pushed back on the statement, saying he disagreed with its contents. He was told the first draft was “much worse” and he should be happy with the final one.
This isn’t the first time Ayuso has been in a tough spot with the team. Back at the 2024 Tour de France, Almeida called him out. This was for not helping Tadej Pogacar. This made things shaky for Ayuso within the team. Still, directors, like fellow Spaniard Joxean Maxin, always defended him. The bad feelings with Almeida carried over into this year’s Vuelta. Ayuso has been riding “his own race,” apart from the team’s main goal of winning the event.